Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 31.
Player analysis: Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
With eight matches left and UEFA Champions League qualification still in their own hands, Chelsea will be thrilled to have Nicolas Jackson back in their starting XI.
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The Senegalese striker missed two months with a hamstring injury and without him they lost three Premier League matches and crashed out of the FA Cup.
Missing the speed and penetration he supplies inside the final third, Enzo Maresca’s team scored only six league goals in five matches - but most of those came in a 4-0 success at home to struggling Southampton.
He returned for the 1-0 win at home to Tottenham Hotspur this week, and on the back of a useful 82-minute runout, he is sure to be a key man when they travel to west London neighbours Brentford on Sunday.
Jackson adds intensity and cutting edge
Pedro Neto did his best to slot into Jackson’s role as a quick striker who runs in behind, but Chelsea did not look as dangerous without a fit and firing Jackson. It is the intensity of the 23-year-old’s running that marks him out as different.
Making improvements at recognising when to make bursts and when to stand still, Jackson is as explosive as anyone across the division when he sprints to get on to a pass.
His 14.3 sprints a game cannot be matched by other top-flight forwards as he averages 31.65 off-the-ball runs per 90 minutes.
Premier League forwards in 2024/25*
| Forwards | Sprints per 90 |
| Nicolas Jackson | 14.30 |
|---|---|
| Rasmus Hojlund | 13.08 |
| Anthony Elanga | 12.73 |
| Alejandro Garnacho | 12.23 |
| Noni Madueke | 11.82 |
*minimum 10 starts
Brentford know all about Jackson’s running power. The Chelsea striker ran from inside his own half from an Enzo Fernandez through-ball to score from a one-v-one in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Frank’s men had pushed their full-backs forward to join in with an attack at 1-0 down, but after losing possession they were ruthlessly punished.
Brentford must do all they can to avoid leaving themselves in a two-v-two like this at the Gtech Community Stadium.
If space is left for Jackson to surge into, Maresca has players like Fernandez and Cole Palmer who are able to supply perfect passes beyond the last defender.
Despite starting only 23 of 30 matches this season, Jackson ranks very highly for through-balls received.
Players with most through-balls received 24/25
| Players | Through-balls received |
| Erling Haaland | 17 |
|---|---|
| Jamie Vardy | 15 |
| Ollie Watkins | 12 |
| Nicolas Jackson | 11 |
| Alexander Isak | 10 |
He also scored excellent goals from two Moises Caicedo through-balls in matches at Liverpool and West Ham United.
So, Brentford must be very wary of Jackson when he makes runs down the middle of the pitch on Sunday.
Jackson's joy facing Brentford
In a season that started so well for him, Jackson will be frustrated he hasn’t registered a goal since the one against Brentford on 15 December.
It is a long, barren spell for the 23-year-old, who had scored nine times in his opening 15 matches.
He has happy memories of his only other trip to Brentford though, scoring in a 2-2 draw last season.
On that occasion he powered a great header into the net from a quality Malo Gusto cross, and he also had a shot cleared off the line after rounding Mark Flekken.
It was another Fernandez through-ball that slipped him in, so if they cannot apply serious pressure to the man on the ball this Sunday, Brentford must drop off and track runners.
Jackson’s speed makes him a difficult man to catch if he times his runs correctly, so a high, square backline must be avoided at all costs.
Making Chelsea better without the ball
Maresca’s side has been accused of lethargy in recent weeks, but Jackson’s return will energise the group.
Even when he is not scoring, he is effervescent in his work, closing opponents down with enthusiasm.
Hardest-working forwards per 90 mins 24/25*
| Pressures in final third | Pressures in final third resulting in a turnover | ||
| Solanke | 28.48 | Solanke | 5.92 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jota | 21.61 | Havertz | 3.76 |
| Jackson | 18.87 | Jackson | 3.74 |
*minimum 10 starts
Chelsea force turnovers with greater frequency, in better areas of the pitch, when Jackson is their trigger up front.
Forcing possession to change hands in this way, eases the burden on them to rely on creativity or pieces of individual magic.
Can Jackson spark Palmer into best form?
Palmer has a good connection with Jackson, so he will be optimistic his own output improves during Chelsea’s top four run-in.
As shown in this graphic (below), many of Palmer's key passes for the striker come from forward passes that he can run on to.
Palmer’s teasing cross for Fernandez’s winner against Spurs ended an astonishing 15-match run without an assist.
Until that moment his last goal-creating action was on 1 December.
During that spell he did make 37 chances for team-mates though, laying on at least one opportunity in all but one of those fixtures, so he can count himself a little unlucky.
Palmer leads the way in 2024/25 with the most chances created (72), so to have just seven assists will be a source of frustration.
Having Jackson around him, in and out of possession for the final eight matches, should have an uplifting effect on Palmer’s game, and that of Chelsea as a side.
The fit-again centre-forward is not yet the finished article, but the Blues undoubtedly have more thrust about them when Jackson leads their attack.
