Burley was speaking on ESPN after Mauricio Pochettino’s men were ripped apart on Tyneside. It was an afternoon which brought the side back down to earth after the win over Tottenham and draw with Manchester City.
Nicolas Jackson started up front at St James’ Park. However, he endured a really disappointing afternoon before brought off midway through the second-half.
Nicolas Jackson not the answer for Chelsea
No starter for Chelsea had fewer touches than the 22-year-old, according to Whoscored.
It has not been an easy start to life at Stamford Bridge for the £30 million youngster. Apart from the hat-trick against Tottenham, Jackson has only shown glimpses of his quality.
And after an afternoon in which he was largely anonymous against Newcastle, Jackson has now been criticised by Craig Burley.
“Let’s be honest, Nico Jackson’s not the answer,” he told ESPN. “I don’t dislike Broja, I know he’s had his injury problems. But I think I’d rather have him up front than Jackson. I know he got his goals against Tottenham. But come on, let’s be realistic, they were down to nine men at the time.”
Blues in danger of going backwards
Chelsea were always going to need some time. Critics will point to how much money they have spent and suggest that they have wasted a large amount. However, they brought in a lot of young players who are not yet at their peak.
But it is alarming that they do not appear to be making more progress. And some of their more experienced players were extremely poor yesterday.
Jackson is Chelsea’s top goalscorer with six goals. And only three players in their squad have scored more than twice in the Premier League this season.
The worry will be that the talented youngsters within their ranks see their confidence crushed before they are able to take that next step and start to realise their potential.
