13 November 2023 , 11:11
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Alan Shearer was sent a text message by Chelsea staff after criticising the performances of Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson joined the Blues in the summer transfer window from Spanish side Villarreal, but had been struggling for Premier League goals in the opening months of the season. That has all changed in the past week, as he scored a hat-trick against Spurs before equalising in the thrilling draw with Manchester City.
That sudden scoring run comes less than a fortnight after Shearer took aim at the 22-year-old for his style of play. And the Newcastle legend has now revealed that people at Chelsea sent him a text to BACK his criticism of the Senegal international.
"I mean the game just had everything from start to finish. It was entertaining and there were so many impressive performances, particularly from the guys in a Chelsea shirt. Jackson I agree, I was critical of his lack of movement a few weeks ago," he told The Rest Is Football podcast when talking about the City thriller.
"I got a text from Chelsea to say that they didn’t think it was over the top and that they have been working on one or two things in and around that. He was a lot better today and full of confidence after what happened earlier in the week and that showed today.
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"It was a great game for everyone to watch. I think for the fans that is important to see those small steps. The coaching, we all know what Poch is like, he is a very good coach and he is the right man.
"They are definitely improving and they seem to be understanding what he wants."
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Jackson has responded by scoring four goals in his last two games (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Shearer was scathing in his criticism of Jackson following the defeat to Brentford at the end of last month. The Premier League's record scorer laid into the Chelsea star for failing to live up to his £32million price tag.
"To be more prolific you have to get yourself into scoring positions. There was a complete lack of movement from him today. Sometimes you have to make the run for the defender and for yourself," Shearer said on Match of the Day. "He looks very raw and at times unsure what to do. He's just waiting for something to happen, you have to do it yourself sometimes. You've got to work, you've got to make defenders work, you've got to try to pull them around.
"Goalscorers don't hang around at the edge of the box like he does. He's got to accept that the ball comes in, it's his job to get on the end of it. They were never, ever going to score today with that. It looks as if he needs a lot of help in that position."
However, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino did not accept Shearer's criticism of his star striker. Instead he labelled the analysis "dangerous", suggesting it probably was not him who sent the pundit the text.
"I think that Nico, if you watch the game against Liverpool or Dortmund in pre-season, or Luton, he was doing what the analysis was about and what we expect. But for different circumstances, Nico is not at his best," Pochettino said.
"For different circumstances, but we need to recover the player that was. But it’s really dangerous this type of analysis because it’s one game. I cannot lie, it wasn't his best but we need to be fair.”