Mauricio Pochettino refused to blame Nicolas Jackson for reacting after he was criticised by a fan just before half-time of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford and has urged supporters to back their misfiring striker.
Pochettino claimed the fan had shouted at Jackson to “wake up” during a stoppage in play, to which the Chelsea striker reacted and responded to the spectator.
Jackson has scored three goals in all competitions so far this season and has been critcised for his discipline on the pitch, picking up five yellow cards already – all for dissent.
His boss was quick to defend his striker, highlighting his need to build confidence after arriving in the summer.
“You cannot abuse, even if you say ‘wake up’ because I think it is not right. Of course it is not the worst thing that can happen in football. We also need to see because we are very sensitive”, said Pochettino.
“In that situation when a player has suffered and is coming back from injury, it is always difficult to train, to keep fit and then to score goals. For sure, we are Chelsea and you are 21-years-old and you want to score and perform.
“It was in the 43rd minute, it was not a big problem. I think the fan is right to say ‘okay come on wake up!’. It was a situation where Nico needed support, but I understand the fans is entitled so say what they want.”
It was a moment that was not seen by many, but the overall frustration building among the Chelsea support inside the stadium was apparent during the defeat to their west London rivals.
But Pochettino was adamant that this incident did not distract the players from the job at hand on the pitch.
“It was a really quiet moment and was really out of context, the situation. We were talking about a situation to fix and in this moment you need help, and you need confidence,” he added.
“We are not going to say nothing again. In this type of situation you need to support because he is our player and they need to perform if they want to win.
“Do you think the player needs the fan to say something like this to make the player realise he is not performing? He needs to get back the confidence and the trust of the club. He wants to help the team.”
