Mauricio Pochettino wants to use Nicolas Jackson for the game against Liverpool, even though Chelsea’s game is 10 hours away in Africa. Jackson returns to west London after Senegal were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday following a penalty shoot-out defeat by Ivory Coast.
Pochettino admitted Jackson’s absence gave the team the opportunity to experiment, but wanted the player back in the squad as soon as possible. The Blues have won their last three games in a row when they meet Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Pochettino said: “We see [Possible], defeating whether Jackson can start a conflict in Anfield:” “Maybe it will happen. If that means we have a 1% better chance of winning the game, we’ll definitely try.
“We are waiting. All I can say is that it might be there. Ghana were shut out in their last defeat, with Inaki Williams coming on hours early to play in the second half to beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
Why can’t Jackson come in to score the winning goal? “[His absence] allowed us to be creative in different situations and work very hard to maintain the balance of the team that we have been working on for the last six or seven months.
“We always change the players. Always available 12, 13, 14 Players and 10, 12 players. Finding the balance and competing at your best has always been difficult. “We talk about different aspects and different aspects of the game. It’s hard to stay consistent when you can’t repeat next week and the next with the same team.
“But in front of Nico we miss his aggression. He runs a lot, puts in a lot of effort and also scores goals, so he helps the team apply a lot of pressure, rebound and score. “Now he has a good record. I think I missed out on a lot, and in some ways I’m happy I can catch up now, but in other ways I’m sad I lost. “But selfishly, I’m glad you can be with us tomorrow.”
