"He is making it very hard for himself" – Pundit says Chelsea players will stop passing the ball to summer signing who lacks calmness

Ex-Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has delivered a worrying verdict on under-fire striker Nicolas Jackson following the Blues' recent win.

The Blues, who splashed over £400 million in the summer, registered their seventh league victory of the campaign at Stamford Bridge this Wednesday. They relied on a goal apiece from Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in front of their home fans.

Jackson, who joined Chelsea from Villarreal for around £32 million in July, failed to assert his dominance throughout the clash. The 22-year-old recorded just one shot off target, missing a 74th-minute chance.

Speaking to ESPN, Melchiot berated the star's performance (h/t HITC):

"Jackson is making it really tough. I watched him and he is making it very hard for himself. The competition is there and [Christopher] Nkunku. I know Poch said it too, 'He needs time'. I know time is the really difficult part. But Nkunku... I like what he is doing and I hope he keeps progressing."

Asserting that the Senegalese has a lack of composure, Melchiot said:

"But Jackson, I don't know. I was never a striker. He has the speed and the power. But he doesn't have the calmness in his head that I feel a proper striker needs. He's not an old guy. He still has time. The only thing he needs to work on is the calmness."

Melchiot, who represented Chelsea 164 times in his career, concluded:

"People are going to start thinking, 'Shall I give to him or should I finish it myself?' I don't want him to be in that position because strikers never want to be in that position."

So far, Jackson has scored eight goals in 22 appearances for his club.

Mauricio Pochettino calls out two stars after Chelsea's 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace

After his side's win, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino hit out at Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill for showing a lack of fighting spirit. He told reporters during a post-match press conference (h/t Express):

"I was talking to Madueke and Colwill and we need to realize that we are Chelsea and have a great history. The pressure is to win. We have nice players. But you need to fight. We play Palace and you need to fight. Sometimes we miss a little bit this characteristic."

While Madueke has scored twice in 10 matches this campaign, Colwill has helped his club record six clean sheets in 22 overall appearances.

The Blues, who are 10th with 25 points from 19 matches, will next face Luton Town in their Premier League clash on Saturday (December 30).