Chelsea have started the season far brighter than they did last term, winning three of their opening five Premier League games, drawing once, and only losing once, that loss coming against last season’s champions Manchester City on the opening day.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues sit fifth in the Premier League on ten points after beating West Ham 3-0 at the London Stadium, making it back-to-back clean sheets for Chelsea.
Chelsea have generated the fifth-highest xG in the league after five games, with 9.73 xG, scoring 11 goals, which is the joint highest in the division with Manchester City, and this comes with a huge improvement from Chelsea’s man leading the line.
Nicolas Jackson's debut season at Chelsea
In his debut season, Nicolas Jackson made 44 appearances in all competitions, scoring 17 goals, providing six assists, and totalling 3,534 minutes played.
But it was the strikers’ finishing ability that had many talking, as Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard, even spoke on the forwards’ lack of “technical detail” costing the Blues against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.
“Little decision making, I feel for him, we’ve all been there, we’ve all missed chances and it’s a critical one for the game. But as a young player that’s the level that you have to be a striker for Chelsea.” – Lampard on Jackson.
Despite scoring 14 Premier League goals in his debut year, Jackson was often criticised for his composure in the box, missing a whopping 23 big chances, which were often scutinised as key turning points in a match. This saw Chelsea fans calling for a striker this summer, but the Senegal international has struck back.
Jackson's red-hot start in 2024/25
The Blues attacker has started this campaign really strong, scoring four goals in his opening five games, including a lovely brace in Chelsea’s most recent victory against West Ham, in which he also provided an assist.
If the forward continues at this rate, the likes of Christopher Nkunku will no doubt struggle to get into the team, as he is becoming more undroppable each and every week.
Goals
0.43
1.00
Assists
0.15
0.50
xG
0.60
0.82
Progressive Carries
2.25
2.50
Progressive Passes
2.15
1.75
Shots Total
2.58
3.25
Goals/Shot
0.17
0.31
G-xG
-0.15
+0.17
Touches (Att Pen)
4.86
5.25
These metrics show just how much Jackson’s finishing has improved from last season to the start of this season, outscoring his xG (generating 0.82 per 90) by +0.17, compared to last campaign, where he underperformed in relation to his xG, with a -0.15 goals minus expected goals (G-xG) ratio.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
Jackson is still providing just as much in other areas too, dropping to link up play, carrying the ball forwards for his team in transition (shown with higher progressive carrying metrics), and providing assists for his teammates too with 0.50 per 90 so far.
The 22-year-old is perfect for Maresca’s system, as he can play in all phases of play, run the channels effectively, work hard out of possession, and add goals and assists for the team.
His relentless willingness to run in behind and track opponents is a nightmare for defenders, and makes for a long afternoon when playing against him.
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