Reece James defends Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson after Alan Shearer claimed his team-mate ‘isn’t a natural goalscorer’ – and insists the £32m star ‘hasn’t needed a pick-me-up once’

• Reece James has defended Nicolas Jackson following recent criticism
• Alan Shearer claimed that the Chelsea striker isn’t a natural goalscorer 
• Why we should get excited about Cole Palmer – Listen here to It’s All Coming Up 

Chelsea captain Reece James has jumped to the defence of team-mate Nicolas Jackson after Alan Shearer claimed that the striker isn’t a natural goalscorer.

Newcastle legend Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer, angered Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino with his criticism of Jackson.

Jackson has endured some difficult moments since joining Chelsea from Villarreal in a £32million summer move but he scored a hat-trick in the victory against Tottenham.

James believes that Jackson is heading in the right direction and insisted that his hat-trick will provide him with a significant confidence boost. 

As reported by The Sun, James said: ‘I don’t think he’s needed a pick-me-up once. He is one of the most energetic guys.

Chelsea captain Reece James (L) has defended Nicolas Jackson (R) after recent criticism

Alan Shearer claimed on Match of the Day that Jackson is not a natural goalscorer

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‘He knows his ability and why he is at Chelsea.

‘As a striker, you go through spells when you don’t score or miss chances.

‘He just has to keep working hard. That is what he’s done and he got his reward.

‘I’m happy for him. It’s a huge confidence boost for anyone to get a hat-trick, especially against such a good side.’

Speaking on Match of the Day, Shearer claimed Jackson ‘is not a natural goalscorer’ and that it ‘looks as if he needs a lot of help in that position’.

That provoked an angry response from Pochettino, who stated that it is too early to draw such conclusions. The Chelsea boss labelled Shearer’s criticism ‘dangerous’.

Pochettino said: ‘You need more matches to come to that (Shearer’s) opinion,

‘If you watch the game against Liverpool, Dortmund or Luton, in different circumstances he’s a different player. It is dangerous to make this analysis on one game.

Shearer’s criticism of Jackson prompted an angry response from Mauricio Pochettino

Jackson has scored six goals in 13 games for Chelsea, including a hat-trick against Tottenham

‘Nico was not at his best, but if you watch him in other games he’s one player, if you see [the] Brentford [game] he’s another player. We have to be fair with our analysis, we need to give time to him. I believe in him.’

When analysing the reasons for Chelsea’s defeat to Brentford on MOTD, Shearer had pinpointed Jackson as a potential problem as he said: ‘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. He looks very raw and at times unsure what to do.’

Shearer claimed that Jackson was too static in the area and was waiting for something to happen.

He said: ‘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.’

Following his hat-trick against Tottenham, Jackson has scored six goals in 13 games for Chelsea in all competitions.

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