Nicolas Jackson scored his first ever Premier League objective from exterior the field in opposition to Everton final weekend and apparently sufficient it got here after my article final week encouraging gamers to shoot on sight.
After all Jackson doesn’t learn the location, or a minimum of I don’t suppose he does (I did hear that a minimum of three gamers do). However both means, it was so refreshing to see Jackson hit a shot on sight identical to Tyrique George and Pedro Neto did for his or her targets that noticed us beat Fulham.
So our final three targets have all been from strikes the place the gamers don’t even give it some thought, have a half sight at objective, and simply instinctively smash it in. That is one thing that our attackers haven’t been doing. You’ll be able to put Jadon Sancho’s objective in opposition to Ipswich on this class as properly.
To allow them to do it, however why haven’t they been doing it? Tactical? Insecurity? Little bit of each? No matter it’s, I’m encouraging them to maintain doing it as a result of it’s actually gained us the final two video games (in addition to Robert Sanchez for the Everton sport a minimum of). Again your self and simply hit it while you’re able to. Some would possibly get saved, some won’t even hit the goal, however have a look at the rewards after they go in. You need to shoot to attain. You miss all the probabilities you don’t take.
That is the kind of objective we have been scoring within the first half of the season, urgent aggressively, profitable the ball, transitioning quick and in numbers, and taking pictures on sight earlier than the remainder of the defenders can retreat and get again in place.
What Jackson has executed here’s what he and the remainder of the staff must do extra of, however particularly him as a striker.
He doesn’t even have a look at the objective earlier than he hits the ball, it’s simply instinctive that he is aware of the place it’s.
I’ve been essential of Jackson since he arrived and I’ll all the time keep that he’s by no means going to be the 9 profile we’d like and he’s extra of a Nicolas Anelka or a Salomon Kalou, however that doesn’t imply he can’t rating extra, and he ought to be. If he performed this fashion coming in on his proper foot off the left then I believe he could be very harmful. It will likely be very attention-grabbing to see what occurs with him once we lastly (hopefully) signal a real 9 this summer season.
Extra of the identical please Nico, and the remainder of the attackers. Again yourselves.
