Mark Twain is attributed to having said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
It is an adage that often rings true in modern football as players are – rightly or wrongly – judged by the numbers they return during a season. However, these stats can often be used selectively to reinforce a particular narrative.
Is Jackson as wasteful as is being suggested?
In the case of Nicolas Jackson, the Senegalese striker is often accused of being wasteful in front of goal. To back this notion up, Opta’s list of the most ‘big chances’ missed in the Premier League is used as Jackson is shown to be in fourth place having squandered 15 scoreable opportunities as of mid-March.
What this stat doesn’t tell you, however, is that Erling Haaland tops the list with 26 big chances missed.
This isn’t to say that Jackson hasn’t been guilty of poor finishing at times because he has. Crucially, Jackson said as much following a frenetic 2-2 draw against Brentford in early March.
It was a match that saw the 22-year-old chip in with a well-timed header 35 minutes in to give Chelsea the lead but it ultimately wasn’t enough for the Blues to win a heated London derby.
Part of the reason for returning to West London with only one point was due to Jackson’s lack of cutting edge on the day. Furthermore, his admission was telling as it showed that he is aware of the negative noise around him.
Jackson is poised to outscore Drogba
Again though, the question has to be asked, how fair is the narrative that has developed?
After all, the great Didier Drogba scored ten Premier League goals in his first season for Chelsea while Jackson has netted nine in his debut season. The difference here is that there are still ten games to play in the 2023/2024 season and if Jackson continues on this positive trajectory, he will comfortably surpass Drogba’s record.
It’s not all about goals though when measuring Jackson’s contribution given that the striker…
Source link : https://www.talkchelsea.net/opinions/the-stats-that-contradict-the-narrative-around-nicolas-jacksons-start-at-chelsea/
Author : James Porter
Publish date : 2024-03-14 13:06:27
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