Malo Gusto’s reaction said it all. The Chelsea defender saw a frustrated Nicolas Jackson lunge in at Ayrton Lucas, catch him studs up on the shin and subsequently receive a red card.
One of the most deserved dismissals in football history.
Gusto turned away, almost in disgust at what his teammate had just done. On just four minutes before, Jackson had not single-handedly lost Chelsea the match; however, he made it near impossible for the Blues to get back into the game in Philadelphia.
Chelsea were already against up against the cosh. The Flamengo side, led by former Blues defender Filipe Luis, look a very decent proposition. The Brazilians are halfway through their domestic season, so on that front they certainly have an advantage.
But it does not feel right to focus on that, particularly when you consider the hundreds of millions of pounds taken to assemble this Chelsea squad. Flamengo ultimately showed a better attitude than their counterparts and while it is not wholly as simple as that, the Brazilians fought hard for the three points.
Jackson’s discipline problem
That’s two red cards in five games for Jackson now. Two ridiculously silly ones as well.
The dismissal at Newcastle United was completely avoidable, and so was that one against Flamengo. Celebrating his 24th birthday, Jackson saw red. Was it a reaction to being benched for Liam Delap? Only he knows.
Regardless, doing what he did is extremely frustrating for everyone involved at Chelsea. A journalist, speaking last month, alleged Jackson had a bit of a discipline issue and that led to Enzo Maresca calling for the striker to improve on that front.
The Italian did not want to speak much about it after the defeat in Philadelphia. What he does need to do, though, is have a serious chat with Jackson because that cannot continue to happen.
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Jackson apologises
Marc Cucurella has revealed Jackson apologised to his Chelsea colleagues straight after the game in the changing room. Cucurella, while he admitted his teammate needed to improve on that front, believes the Blues No.15 was a tad unfortunate with the challenge.
“He’s very sad,” Cucurella said on Jackson. “He tried to win the ball, had the bad luck that he kicked his leg and that’s it. He’s a young player with a lot of quality but maybe needs to improve a little bit in these things.
“But he has to learn. After the manager spoke, he said sorry, he didn’t do it on purpose. He’s a very important player for us.”
Delap given clear No.9 run
Delap will get a run in the side now. That’s a positive to take from the Jackson sending off. Right?
It was nice to see Marc Guiu get some rare minutes towards the back end of the game but there seems to be no doubt it will be Delap starting in Chelsea’s crucial game against Esperance next week.
Jackson will be banned for the very least one game, with FIFA handing a one-match suspension. FIFA will then review the incident and can increase if necessary. In Jackson’s case, they might well do given the nature of the challenge.
Either way, now is Delap’s time to shine. He can put a real marker down in this Chelsea side in the next game – and potentially more to follow.
Worrying signs for Santos
Even when Chelsea were chasing the match at the Lincoln Financial Field, there was no sign of Andrey Santos from the bench. The 20-year-old midfielder excelled on loan at Strasbourg last season and was given a place in the 28-man travelling squad to the United States.
Supporters thought that meant Santos was going to get an opportunity to prove himself to Maresca at the Club World Cup, but he has not got on yet in 180-plus minutes of football. A decision over where he spends next season has not been made yet, football.london understands, but the signs are not good for Santos.
It seems rather bizarre he did not get any action on the pitch in Philadelphia, particularly given Maresca made four changes. His versatility could have helped Chelsea when they were searching for an equalising goal, before Wallace Yan ended any Blues hope.
