Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has slammed Nicolas Jackson and Robert Sanchez, who are “not good enough” to help the Blues challenge for the Premier League title.
Chelsea were beaten 3-1 at the Etihad on Saturday evening after going 1-0 up inside three minutes.
Chelsea icon tears into Nicolas Jackson – ‘F***ing score the goals’
If not for a lack of cutting edge in the final third, Enzo Maresca’s men could have been two or three goals ahead but they allowed the Premier League champions to come back and earn a deserved victory.
Jackson started the season very well, scoring nine in his first 15 Premier League apperances in 2024/25 but is without a goal since December 15.appearances
Sanchez, meanwhile, has made five errors leading to a goal this season, the joint-most in the Premier League with Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
The Spaniard made two in the space of six days, first against Wolves last Monday and then City on Sunday.
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Both players have come in for fierce criticism from Chelsea icon Mikel, who said he wants Jackson to show more conviction in front of goal in an X-rated rant.
“Not the scoreline we all wanted, is it? I’m a bit gutted,” Mikel said on The Obi One Podcast.
“We started well with the goal and then we thought, ‘Let’s kick on from here’. This has been what has happened for the last three or four games.
“We got 1-0 up or 2-0 up and then we don’t kill the game, we don’t finish the game and we end up paying for it.
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“Again, we went 1-0 up and we had that chance to go 2-0 up with Nicolas Jackson.
“Some people are saying that the pass from Cole Palmer is a little bit… no, it’s not. You’re a striker, just put your foot through it.
“If you miss it, it’s fine. But attempt to score. What did he do? Just controlled the ball and then came back.
“Your job is to f***ing score the goals, that’s why you were brought to the football club. Put the ball in the back of the net and try to score. He didn’t do that.’
“I have nothing against Nicolas Jackson and every time I talk about him, it’s like I have something against him, it’s like I’m trying to get Victor [Osimhen] to come to the football club. No it’s not, I’ve said it,’ Obi Mikel added.
“If the people at the top of the club don’t get Victor… Viktor Gyokeres’ goalscoring stats are unreal. We need somebody who can score goals to get us there. We don’t have that.
“The reason why we succeeded in my time and, again, I’m not trying to compare him with Didier [Drogba], because we had somebody that when we called upon him he was there to put the ball in the back of the net. We don’t have that right now.
“Nicolas Jackson, he’s doing well with his combinations. But he’s not a goalscorer and that’s what we need.”
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Mikel then jumped on to Sanchez, who is “not good enough”, with neither player capable of guiding the Blues to a Premier League title.
“Not good enough. He’s not a top, top ‘keeper,” Mikel added.
“He’s good enough to be there in the league but he’s not good enough [for Chelsea].
“What I keep saying is players who are good enough to win the league and put us in the top four. He’s not that goalkeeper and Nicolas Jackson is not that striker that will get us to win the league.
“Top four, they might get us there, but to win the league, to get us to where we belong… they are not those people.
“Sanchez showed that again with that mistake. What are you doing rushing out? What are you doing?!
“If you called Petr Cech now off the cuff, privately, he would say the same thing but I’m the only person who is coming out to say it.
“I understand that my colleagues don’t want to come out and say it but I am saying it. This is what we need: we need to get another top striker and a goalkeeper.”
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