John Obi Mikel tore into Nicolas Jackon after his ‘stupid’ red card in the Club World Cup defeat to Flamengo, telling the Chelsea striker to leave if he cannot handle competition for his place in the team.
The Blues suffered a 3-1 defeat in Philadelphia on Friday night, taking the lead in the first-half through Pedro Neto but conceded three times in the second period.
Flamengo scored twice in the space of three minutes midway through the second-half, wrestling control of the game from the Premier League side.
Liam Delap was handed his first starting appearance for the club since his £30million arrival from Ipswich but was replaced after 64 minutes, in between the first two Flamengo goals.
Jackson was brought onto replace him but in first meaningful contribution four minutes after coming off the bench, he was shown a straight red card for a wild lunge on Ayrton Lucas.
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The incident drew parrels with one from the Premier League in May. The Senegal international was shown a straight red card 36 minutes into a vital match against Newcastle United in a similarly wild act of petulance, earning himself a suspension that carries over into the new season.
Mikel, who has previously questioned Jackson’s reliability in front of goal, told DAZN: ‘Unbelievable, a stupid, stupid stupid, mistake you can make. I don’t know what is going through his head.
‘You come into the game with your side 2-1 down. Your team needs you and he does that. He did that in the league game against Newcastle, a very important game which we needed to get into the Champions League and he got a red card. Now he is has done it again. You can’t keep making these mistakes.’
Asked if Jackson’s decision stemmed from frustration with not starting the game, Mikel said: ‘I don’t care what his frustration is, it is a massive football club. It is about competition.
‘If you’re angry, if you’re pissed off that Delap has come onto the club and he’s going to be the competition with you, you have to embrace it if you are a big player. Because the only way we win trophies is if the competition is there.’
Jackson has been Chelsea’s first choice striker for the last two seasons but Delap’s arrival could change that. Mikel warned if the former Villarreal star cannot handle the pressure that comes with added competition, then he should move on.
‘Nicolas Jackson needs to have a word with himself on where he sees his Chelsea career going on from here,’ Mikel continued.
‘The manager has brought in a striker in Delap. If the manager starts to doubt you, thinking “do I still trust this guy” and he keeps making mistakes and letting the club down, he will think do I stick with the player I brought into the football club in Delap. So the manager has a decision to make because you can’t keep putting him in and letting the team down. If he doesn’t trust him then it is time for Delap to start the games.
‘He [Jackson] wants to be the only guy, playing every game. No, we need healthy competition to win trophies moving forward, challenging for titles. And if he is not ready for it then he should not be at Chelsea football club.’