Currently in the middle of a busy pre-season Tour, Chelsea played a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in Atlanta.
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Chelsea will be keen to put behind the disappointments of last season, as they begin a new era with a new manager. Mauricio Pochettino is tasked with bringing the Blues back to the promised land following their abysmal 2022-23 campaign. In the Premier last season, Chelsea shockingly finished outside the top half of the table. They also suffered early cup exits, which the Blues would be keen to rectify this time around.
Currently in the middle of a busy pre-season Tour, Chelsea played a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in Atlanta. The find of Chelsea’s pre-season, Nicolas Jackson, was once again the star man for them, as he scored the opener. However, Miguel Almiron netted the equaliser for Newcastle, as both teams shared the spoils. After the match, Blues’ manager Mauricio Pochettino was happy with what he saw from his squad.
“I think, in general, it was a good game. I’m pleased with the attitude again and the performance. There were many, many positive things, but things to improve. But in general, I’m pleased and happy. I think the balance is much better. We need to still work on the balance of the team, but I’m so happy because after four months, Reece [James] played 60 minutes and that is so important for him to have the feelings of competing,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website.
“This type of game helps a lot. For a player like Jackson, who arrives from La Liga, to compete against a team like Newcastle, who will play in the Champions League, is so important. I think the younger players are performing well also. So I am so happy with everything so far.”
Mauricio Pochettino then went into depth to analyse the impact made by Jackson, while also pointing out where he needs to develop his game. “I think he has showed his quality and talent: he is good in front of the goal, very relaxed when he has the chances,’ said Pochettino. ‘He has shown that in the games. I am happy because a striker needs to score to build confidence and trust,” he explained.
“He was in La Liga, which is also really competitive but he needs sot adapt to the Premier League. The tempo is higher than La Liga, more transitions, be connected with the game. There are many things that make the Premier League one of the best, one of the most competitive, and one is the physical condition.”
Pochettino reckons Jackson needs to improve the physical side of things, as the new season is not far away from beginning. “He still needs to improve in his physical condition; it’s only the beginning of pre-season. He arrived late, didn’t start with us from the beginning,” he elaborated.
“We are involved here in the tour and are so happy to be here and share with our fans, but at the same time it’s tough and it’s why we need to manage the situation. That is why we administrate in different ways the players. The plan was maybe to play him a little bit more, but after 45 minutes we decided to substitute him because he had the good feelings.”
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