Chelsea could continue their good run of form with a win against Brentford today
Chelsea look like they have turned a corner in recent weeks as Mauricio Pochettino looks to continue their good run of form with a win against Brentford today.
The Blues have not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in September and while it has taken the Argentinian a few months to assert his authority on the squad, it looks as though it is working.
Chelsea have vastly improved in recent weeks
After that loss, the Blues rebounded by defeating in-form Brighton and Hove Albion in the EFL Cup before claiming comfortable wins over Fulham and Burnley in the Premier League in the space of five days, and they headed into the match against Arsenal riding the crest of a wave.
The Stamford Bridge side went two goals up and looked set for their most important win of the season, yet the Gunners fought back to claim a 2-2 draw, and upon reflection, it was still a positive result.
The Blues struggled for goals during the early weeks of the season, scoring just seven in their opening seven matches, yet since the aforementioned loss to Villa, Pochettino’s side netted two or more across three of their four matches.
Brentford have endured their struggles this term, yet they could be tough to play against and the former Paris Saint-Germain coach may look to rejig his side ahead of the match.
Nicolas Jackson could make the difference vs Brentford
The 6 foot 1 forward arrived at the club during the summer transfer window from Villarreal having scored 12 La Liga goals during a breakthrough season with the senior side.
The Senegal international can play across the front three, yet operating in a more central role is perhaps his strongest position and this is where he can be the most effective for Chelsea.
Indeed, he has already scored three times for the club, leading the scoring charts alongside Raheem Sterling, yet he had to make do with a place on the bench for the tie against Arsenal.
Across the Chelsea squad in the Premier League, he currently ranks first for shots on target per game (1.1), while also ranking seventh for key passes per game (0.8) and second for successful dribbles per game (1.6), indicating a decent start to life at the club.
If he had been a bit more clinical in front of goal, Jackson would have certainly scored more as he has missed seven big chances which ranks him first across the squad.
The more he plays, the better he could get, and the 22-year-old was hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig following his 2022/23 La Liga seas, who said it was “the beginning of something extraordinary” and this is high praise indeed.
He deserves a chance to start against the Bees and given the good run of form that the club are on, everyone appears to be full of confidence.
Jackson could terrorise Thomas Frank’s side if he is able to use his dribbling and shot-taking attributes to constantly make things happen at the top end of the pitch, if his finishing is of the requisite quality this afternoon.
The former Villarreal starlet could get better under Pochettino and by securing another vital win today, the Blues will continue their march up the league table.
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