Chelsea: Enzo Maresca delivers Nicolas Jackson verdict and reveals plan to investigate discipline problem | OneFootball

Discipline has been a massive issue for Blues this season having picked up more yellow cards than any other Premier League side

Enzo Maresca insists Nicolas Jackson is mature enough to lead the Chelsea line - but says he will use the offseason to investigate his side’s discipline problem.

The Senegalese was sent off for an elbow on Sven Botman before half-time in a game the Magpies went on to win 2-0 and there could be further repercussions for Chelsea’s Champions League hopes given the Blues now head into their final two matches without a recognised No9.

Discipline was a major issue for Jackson at the start of his Chelsea career, when he picked up five bookings in his first six league appearances to earn a one-match suspension.

His record has improved since, though he still has seven bookings and now a red card this term, and Sunday’s incident has ramped up the debate about whether the 23-year-old can be Chelsea’s main centre-forward long-term.

Asked, however, whether Jackson has the maturity and temperament for that role, Maresca said: “Yeah I think so.

“It’s normal that after a red card, the light is on Nico but overall it’s something that is not just about Newcastle.”

He added: “For me, it’s not about the age because no matter the age you are, if you make a mistake then it’s okay all of us make mistakes. But if you make the same mistake again probably it’s not the best thing. I think he’s the first red card this season for us. Unfortunately, it’s been for Nico.”

Jackson’s dismissal was technically Chelsea’s second league red card of the season, but first that affected a game, with Marc Cucurella sent off after the final whistle against Brentford in December.

Dismissed: Nicolas Jackson

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

However, the Blues have picked up more yellow cards than any other top-flight side (96), having also topped the same ranking under Mauricio Pochettino last season.

“It’s probably the way we try to be, I don’t know, intense, aggressive,” Maresca said. “I don’t know to be honest.

“It’s a good question that probably we need to analyse during the summer when we have some days off and to see if there is something that we can do better.

“Seriously, it’s something [we’ll look at] during the summer because now we have no time to fix it, and see the reason why [we have] this amount of yellow cards, that we can avoid them and try to improve for next season.”