Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has slammed Alan Shearer for his comments regarding struggling striker Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson, much like the rest of the Blues squad, has struggled to deliver in front of goal since making the £32 million switch from Villarreal over the summer.
The 22-year-old has netted just twice in the Premier League this season and drew another blank during Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Brentford on the weekend.
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His performance was epitomised by an angry altercation with a fan, as Pochettino was forced to intervene.
Jackson has continued to deputise for Christopher Nkunku, who remains sidelined with a serious knee injury.
Speaking on Match of the Day, Shearer took aim at Jackson's "lack of movement", claiming he looks "unsure of what to do" in goalscoring positions.
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"To be more prolific you have to get yourself into scoring positions. There was a complete lack of movement from him today. Sometimes you have to make the run for the defender and for yourself," the former Newcastle talisman said.
"He looks very raw and at times unsure what to do. He's just waiting for something to happen, you have to do it yourself sometimes. You've got to work, you've got to make defenders work, you've got to try to pull them around.
"Goalscorers don't hang around at the edge of the box like he does. He's got to accept that the ball comes in, it's his job to get on the end of it. They were never, ever going to score today with that. It looks as if he needs a lot of help in that position."
However, Pochettino has launched a passionate defence of the Senegal international, labelling Shearer's analysis "dangerous".
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"I think that Nico, if you watch the game against Liverpool or Dortmund in pre-season, or Luton, he was doing what the analysis was about and what we expect. But for different circumstances, Nico is not at his best," Pochettino said in the lead-up to Chelsea's Carabao Cup clash against Blackburn.
"For different circumstances, but we need to recover the player that was. But it’s really dangerous this type of analysis because it’s one game. I cannot lie, it wasn't his best but we need to be fair.
"If you watch Luton, if you watch Dortmund in pre-season, if you watch Liverpool, you will see this is one player. Brentford game was another player. I agree with the analysis, but it’s not fair to say he is not this or you know.
Pochettino added: "I agree with analysis, but not to say he is not capable to do what we expect of him. I believe in him, I believe. The only problem is time. I don't want to give examples, but he arrived at Chelsea in a situation is not easy for him.
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"But the club believes it is possible to perform. That is why we cannot be unfair in the analysis because he was frustrated from the beginning for different circumstances. But we need to give time, for sure he has the conditions. He showed that the conditions he has it’s only give time to him.”
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Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino, Match Of The Day, Alan Shearer, Football, Premier League