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Lionesses star Lotte Wubben-Moy has explained her fiery motivation for succeeding at Arsenal ahead of their Conti Cup final clash with Chelsea.

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• Arsenal face Chelsea in Conti Cup
• Wubben-Moy relishing final clash
• Defender wants to test herself against best

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Gunners are looking to retain the Conti Cup when they take on Chelsea once again in the final on Sunday. The North London outfit won the showpiece event last year against Emma Hayes' side in a 3-1 win at Selhurst Park and reached this stage of the competition this time out with a 4-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this month. Ahead of this weekend's encounter at Molineux, Arsenal centre-back Wubben-Moy has spoken about this matchup and taking her game to new heights.

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• WHAT LOTTE WUBBEN-MOY SAID

  When asked about how she dealt with prolific Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw in her side's 2-1 win in the WSL in November, the England ace told The Athletic: “I’m at the stage of my career where I don’t want to be taken for granted, I want to push and (prove) I can go toe-to-toe with these players."

  Ahead of the Chelsea match, she said: “When I look at my trajectory as a player and the next few years, which are ultimately going to be my prime years as a centre-back, I said to myself, ‘This is yours for the taking. This is your moment. You know within you how good you are, it’s just time to show it and share it with the people around you.’

  “That’s how I view football — it’s an opportunity to share and give to others. When I feel most full, empowered and emboldened to be myself, that’s when I can put out the best performances. Ultimately, that warrants respect and not being taken for granted," he continued.

  “Too often in the past, I’ve just ‘been there’. Knowing I can be more, and that being reflected in my performances this season, I look back but more so look forward and say, ‘How can I continue to do this and continue to build on what I know is me and is going to push me on to be the player I know I can be?’.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This is a mouth-watering clash between two heavyweights in English football. Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-1 earlier this season in the Women's Super League at the Emirates, but the Blues won the reverse fixture 3-1 at Kingsmeadow. Emma Hayes' side are going for a historic quadruple in her last season in charge and the Gunners will want to retain their title – so there is a lot to play for.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  After this final clash, Arsenal – who are third in the league behind joint-leaders City and Chelsea, return to WSL action on April 14. The Blues, on the other hand, take on Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Women's Cup on the same date.

Celtic are in the midst of defending their Scottish Premiership crown under Brendan Rodgers and one of his reported January targets has admitted he is aware of speculation linking him with a move to Parkhead.

Celtic latest transfer news…

Building up ahead of steam, the Hoops have made an excellent start to proceedings in the Scottish Premiership, taking 25 points from an available 27 so far, placing them seven points clear of rivals Rangers at the top of the league standings. Nevertheless, there is a desire among some supporters and Celtic boss Rodgers himself to seek further reinforcements to his squad as he aims to make the Scottish champions competitive on both domestic and European fronts.

Speaking in an interview cited via Sky Sports in late September, the boss indicated that Celtic's transfer business during the summer didn't satisfy him to the point of ruling out further activity in January. Rodgers said: "No. No [happiness with summer transfer activity]; I think if you ask any manager they will always be wanting more, of course."

He then added: "But we work with the players that are here. I'm not saying that in any disrespectful way; I think every manager will tell you they maybe wished they could have done one or two more signings."

One Celtic transfer update from Football Insider has recently revealed that bringing in a goalkeeper is high on the agenda at Parkhead as the Hoops look to bring in competition to compete with veteran stopper Joe Hart between the sticks. Real Madrid ace Andriy Lunin has been mentioned as a potential Celtic goalkeeper option; however, the same outlet claim that the Ukraine international would prefer to move to the Premier League if he were to leave Santiago Bernabeu.

Reports earlier in the month suggest that Rodgers is also keen on adding another midfielder to his ranks. Gwangju FC star Jeong Ho-Yeon is also believed to be a transfer target for Celtic and is believed to be open to a move to Europe after winning Korean military exemption due to collecting a gold medal in the Asian Games.

Celtic transfer update – Jeong Ho-Yeon

Now, an update on Jeong's future has emerged courtesy of the player himself, who has confirmed in an interview with Sports G cited by Football Scotland that he has heard speculation mentioning him in connection with a move to Celtic. He told the outlet:

"I know that such stories are coming out around me. In fact, there has never been a specific or direct contact so far. I heard the same story from my team and agent. I just want to be faithful to my team in every moment."

Plying his trade in K League 1, the versatile midfielder can play in holding or central roles and has gone on to make 29 appearances over the course of 2023 for Gwangju FC, registering two goals and three assists (Jeong Ho-Yeon stats – Transfermarkt).

Celtic have found some brilliant success stories from exploring the globe for talent in recent years, and it remains to be seen whether Jeong will be the next in line to make a name for himself at Parkhead if a move to Glasgow does materialise for the 23-year-old.

Bukayo Saka explained what has changed at Arsenal since their late collapse in the Premier League title race last season.

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• Saka explained how Arsenal have changed
• Scored the opening goal in 3-0 win
• Eyeing Premier League title after 20 years

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international opened the scoring from the penalty spot in Arsenal's comprehensive 3-0 win over Brighton on Saturday in a crucial Premier League encounter. After the match, the star player explained how things have changed at the Gunners camp this season as they eye a first title win in 20 years.

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  WHAT BUKAYO SAKA SAID

  Speaking to after the match, Saka said: "Last season was not great to think about. But, great in terms that we have learned our lesson. In games like this game, we needed to put it to bed. Last season we were conceding late goals and having to defend – then the fans were on top of us. This year we are more comfortable and I think the team is better. I feel like we are ready for each game to win."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 22-year-old has enjoyed a rich vein of form this season and is the club's highest scorer in the across all competitions. He has netted 14 times in the league thus far and 17 overall in 39 matches and has provided 13 assists.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  Mikel Arteta's side will be next seen in action on April 9 as they take on Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final fixture.

Glasgow Rangers look like they may finally be able to salvage something out of this season following the appointment of Philippe Clement a few weeks ago.

Under Michael Beale, the Gers were heading for mediocrity, winning just eight of the 14 matches he took charge of while bowing out against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League qualifiers.

Following the 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox, he was sacked and Clement was appointed as his successor and the club haven’t looked back since.

His failings in the summer transfer market didn’t help his cause either, spending lavish sums of money on players such as Sam Lammers, Cyriel Dessers, and Jose Cifuentes, and they all have yet to hit the ground running.

The Light Blues haven’t enjoyed the best of relationships with the transfer window over the course of the previous few years, leading Beale, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Steven Gerrard to sign a succession of players who failed to take the club to the next level.

There has been the odd gem littered among the dross, but ultimately, the failings in the transfer market meant the Light Blues didn’t build on their Premiership title win in 2021.

Van Bronckhorst was able to move on a few players for massive profits during his 12-month tenure in Glasgow, as Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey were both sold within six months of each other.

Their values should continue to increase the more experience they gain out with Scotland, but one player who left Rangers last year has seen his value decrease due to several poor performances – Joe Aribo.

Joe Aribo’s market value at Rangers

Following a relatively stable first season in charge, Gerrard aimed to bolster his squad ahead of the 2019/20 campaign in order to give Celtic a proper title challenge.

There were several new faces arriving at Ibrox that summer, with a fresh-faced Aribo being one of them. He had played nearly 100 matches for Charlton over the previous three years, and he played a part in the club securing a return to the Championship by defeating Sunderland in the League One playoff final.

He cost the Gers just £300k due to cross-border transfer rules and Gerrard was quick to praise him, saying: “He is tall, athletic and quick. He’s a box-to-box player and is not afraid to open the door when he gets around the box and he can unlock defences.”

His transfer value upon joining Rangers was just €1.1m (£950k) according to Football Transfers, but it ended up reaching a high point of €5.1m (£4.4m) during his final season at the club and this was down to some wonderful displays.

Across three productive seasons at Ibrox, Aribo played 149 times while scoring 26 goals and registering 25 assists.

He won the Premiership and Scottish Cup during his time north of the border along with becoming just the fourth-ever player to score in a major European final for the club, yet it wasn’t good enough to see Rangers win the Europa League trophy in 2022.

These performances naturally attracted attention from other clubs and last summer, Van Bronckhorst sold the Nigeria international to Southampton for a fee which could reach up to £10m.

It was clear the Premier League was his next port of call and that Rangers was just a stepping stone in his career as he signed a four-year contract at the south coast side and move down to England for the next chapter.

The move hasn’t gone as well as first anticipated however and this has seen Aribo’s value drop dramatically over the previous 18 months.

Joe Aribo’s stats at Southampton

The Saints had established themselves as a mainstay in the Premier League since returning to the top flight in the 2012/13 campaign, yet they had flirted with relegation during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.

Aribo’s arrival looked like it could be a good one, especially with his goal-scoring form for Rangers and his obvious attacking talents, yet he couldn’t quite find his feet down south.

The midfielder started just 13 league matches throughout the whole season, scoring twice, and he wasn’t the first choice as the club recorded just six league wins and were relegated to the Championship.

Aribo ranked in a lowly tenth position across the squad for goals and assists (two), while also ranking eighth for shots on target per game (0.4) and 15th for key passes per game (0.4) which clearly suggests he failed to live up to his big transfer fee.

Compare these stats to his final year at Rangers, and it appears as though the English top flight proved to be much harder to acclimatise to.

The 27-year-old ranked third across the Gers squad during his final season for goals and assists (13) along with ranking 13th for shots on target per game (0.5) and fifth for key passes made per game (1.5), highlighting the gap between Scotland and England.

Aribo has failed to score across 12 matches so far this term and his struggles are continuing, and his market value reflects this.

Joe Aribo’s market value at Southampton

According to Football Transfers, the midfielder is now currently valued at €4.5m (£3.9m) which represents a £6.1m drop in just over a year, indicating that Rangers struck gold by selling him for such a big fee.

While it hasn’t worked out for Aribo on the south coast, there is no doubt many of the Ibrox faithful would take him back in a heartbeat, especially with the lack of goals coming from the midfield.

The former Charlton gem was a crowd favourite during his time in Scotland and his goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final gave the Gers a genuine hope they could secure just their second-ever major European trophy.

It wasn’t to be, and he left the Light Blues on good terms. It’s a pity it has not worked out at Southampton for the player as when he is in the mood, opposition defences are often run ragged by his movement and superior creative talents.

If he can find his form soon, this valuation could certainly rise, there is no doubt about it.

By the time Glasgow Rangers had sacked Michael Beale at the start of October, they had already lost four times across just 14 matches, including three defeats in the Premiership and this wasn’t the form that was expected.

Philippe Clement was announced as the new manager just a couple of weeks later, and he has won five out of his first six matches and the feel good factor appears to be slowly returning to Ibrox.

Indeed, Clement has seen his side score 16 times in just six matches, while Beale’s side scored 23 goals, but it took them 14 matches to do it and the improvement going forward is astonishing.

The Belgian has also had to make do with a team inherited from Beale, which includes summer signings Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers.

The Nigerian international cost around £4.5m and was one of the top targets identified by the 43-year-old during the summer transfer window, yet he certainly hasn’t looked like a multimillion pound player since his arrival, scoring just five times in 21 matches while often looking lethargic and lacking a clinical nature.

Despite this woeful record, the signing of Lammers has arguably been worse, and it proves that Beale wasted vast sums of money on players who simply aren’t up to the required standard to succeed at the club.

Sam Lammers’ Rangers statistics

With Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Scott Arfield departing the Gers, while Antonio Colak and Fashion Sakala both being sold, Beale was under pressure to go through a summer rebuild at the club, with particular focus on the attacking department.

Lammers, who had scored just six goals since the start of the 2020/21 season, cost the Light Blues £3m from Serie A side Atalanta and while his goal record wasn’t exactly favourable, it looked as though the former QPR coach was going to deploy him in a deeper role to utilise his creative talents.

Lammers ended up scoring just once before Beale was sacked in October, along with grabbing an assist, and it's safe to say he hasn’t exactly lit up Ibrox since his arrival.

The forward currently ranks in a lowly 20th position for key passes made per game in the Premiership (0.5), while also ranking tenth for big chances created (one) and fourth for big chances missed (four), demonstrating his failure to make an impact among the current squad this season.

Beale, as it transpires, got a few things wrong in the months leading up to his eventual sacking, but loaning out Ianis Hagi will surely be seen as one of his biggest mistakes, especially with the Romanian scoring twice so far this term, the same number as Lammers, yet he has done it in 11 fewer matches.

Ianis Hagi joined Alaves on loan for the 2023/24 season

The 25-year-old joined the Light Blues on a permanent basis in the summer of 2020 following a successful loan spell, and he went on to play a key part in the club securing their first league title in a decade during the 2020/21 season.

Indeed, during that record-breaking season, Hagi ranked third across the squad for goals and assists in the league (18) while also ranking fifth for big chances created (five) and for key passes per game (one), demonstrating his positive influence on the team.

Things were looking rosy during the first half of the following term as he scored four times and grabbed four assists, yet a serious knee injury suffered against Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup ruled him out for the rest of the season, thus missing the run to the Europa League final.

He made his return nearly a year to the day since he suffered the injury, but it appeared as though Beale didn’t see a space for him in his system, despite scoring against Hibs towards the end of the season.

With the signings of Lammers and Dessers, plus Tom Lawrence and Todd Cantwell in the squad, Hagi was loaned to La Liga side, Alaves, for the 2023/24 season, but it looks like a colossal blunder.

Ianis Hagi’s statistics this season for Alaves

Once dubbed as an “absolute dream to work with” by his former manager Steven Gerrard, the Romanian is using his temporary spell to gain some much-needed game time and build himself back into the creative talent he was before suffering the injury.

The 25-year-old currently ranks as Alaves’ second highest rated player with regard to overall Sofascore rating (7.03) in La Liga, along with ranking fourth for shots per game (1.9), second for big chances created (two) and first for key passes per game (1.6), indicating that he is returning to some sort of form in Spain.

These statistics are much better than the numbers Lammers has displayed during the current season, and it makes the decision to send Hagi out on loan even stranger.

Clement will be keeping an eye on the Romanian international with regard to utilising his talents for when he returns to the Ibrox side, and it could come at the expense of Lammers.

His form has even secured the attacking midfielder an international recall following his injury problems and he even scored and grabbed two assists against Andorra in the latest match for the national team.

Beale was obviously trying to build his own squad during the summer, shifting on players who he didn’t believe fitted into his tactical ethos or ideologies, yet the decision to send Hagi out on loan has proven to be a mistake.

His stats in La Liga are impressive and if he continues to gain regular game time, his match fitness will also improve, bringing him back to the level he was at pre-injury.

It was evident that the Gers were missing something linking the midfield to the attacking during the early part of the season and, although he may not have been 100% fit, Hagi could have been the creative talent which may have turned games in their favour.

Thankfully, it is just a temporary deal and the Glasgow side will be able to count on the services of Hagi next year, and he could thrive under the leadership of Clement, no doubt about it.

Jude Bellingham has registered 20 goals during his debut campaign at Real Madrid, but his level is considered to have “dropped” a little.

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• Burst out of the blocks at the Bernabeu
• Goal output has slowed of late
• In hunt for Liga & Champions League crowns

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Maintaining the standards set through the early months of his time at Santiago Bernabeu was always going to be difficult, with the 20-year-old midfielder bursting out of the blocks. Bellingham’s efforts landed him Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy award recognition, while regularly being compared to legendary figures from Real’s glittering past – such as Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane.

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  WHAT BAPTISTA SAID ABOUT BELLINGHAM

  Bellingham has slowed down of late, registering just three goals through his last 15 appearances, with former Blancos star Julio Baptista telling the of that slight dip: “I think he has adapted very well and he had an extraordinary start to his career at Madrid. Perhaps his level has dropped a little over the last month or so but maybe that is just the accumulation of games he has played. He has played a lot of minutes and sometimes players start to feel that in the legs, they are only human.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Madrid have given Bellingham the freedom to flourish in Spanish football, with Baptista adding on the position that plays to his strengths: “I see him playing behind a striker or playing behind two strikers. I think that is where you will get the best out of him.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?

  Bellingham has helped Real to the top of the Spanish league table and semi-finals of the Champions League – where he will be lining up against England team-mate Harry Kane. He also has a European Championship trophy quest with the Three Lions to come this summer.

Celtic remain winless in the Champions League this season as they were beaten 2-0 by Italian side Lazio in Rome on Tuesday night.

The Hoops are rooted to the bottom of the group and this week's result has confirmed that they will be staying there as they are unable to catch Feyenoord in third.

This means that the Scottish giants are out of Europe completely, as they will not drop down into the Europa League, and they now only have the Scottish Premiership and the SFA Cup to compete for heading into the second half of the campaign.

Cameron Carter-Vickers switched off with ten minutes to go as Ciro Immobile peeled off the back of him to score the opening goal for the hosts, before the Italian ace bullied Liam Scales and sat the American colossus down with a clever touch to make it 2-0 shortly after.

Carter-Vickers' performance against Lazio in numbers

Frustratingly, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was enjoying a superb, dominant, performance prior to being caught out by the Lazio legend for both goals.

The USA international used his physical strength and excellent positioning to win five of his seven duels throughout the 90 minutes, which included three battles on the ground and four in the air.

His use of the ball was also impressive. Carter-Vickers completed 93% (100/108) of his attempted passes and five of his seven longer passes.

However, that was all for nothing in the end as his lapse in concentration for the first goal and lack of mobility to deal with Immobile's clever play for the second goal contributed to another European loss.

Kyogo Furuhashi's performance against Lazio in numbers

Whilst the Hoops centre-back was partly to blame for the defeat, the true villain for Brendan Rodgers was centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi, who was worse on the night.

The Japan international did not make the most of the opportunities he had to make an impact on the match and did not offer enough outside of those key moments.

He had an early opportunity on the edge of the box with time to either pick out James Forrest in space or find the back of the net but his weak effort rolled into the arms of the goalkeeper.

The 28-year-old whiz, who had scored two goals in the competition prior to Tuesday's match, had a similar opening at the start of the second half as Matt O'Riley picked him out in the box but the forward watched his shot drag wide of the far post from 15 yards.

Therefore, Kyogo failed to step up to deliver a moment of quality for Celtic when they needed it most and this then opened the door for Lazio to go on and win the match as the Hoops could not find a goal of their own to take the lead.

The former Vissel Kobe star's lack of physicality was on display as the lightweight lost 100% (1/1) of his duels throughout the game and failed with his only attempted dribble in his 97 minutes on the pitch.

He was worse than Carter-Vickers as his lack of quality in vital moments meant that the Hoops were not able to make the most of the solid platform that the centre-back's impressive display in the opening 80 minutes provided them with.

The USWNT have announced that they will host Costa Rica in an international friendly on July 16 as their 'Send-Off' match for the Paris Olympic Games.

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• USWNT to host Costa Rica on July 16
• Match serves as Olympics send-off
• Will be fourth match in charge for Emma Hayes

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The U.S. announced that they will return to Audi Field – home of the Washington Spirit – to host the Ticos in an international friendly. The roster for the match will feature the 2024 U.S. women's national team Olympic roster, with their July 13 clash with Mexico consisting of the same group, as well.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The match will be Hayes' fourth in charge with her squad, giving her a string of matches to leave her mark on the team ahead of the marquee event in France. When the Paris Games begin, the USWNT will take on Zambia, Germany and Australia in the Group Stage of the tournament.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The USWNT has faced Costa Rica 17 times throughout history, recording 17 wins.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THE USWNT?

  The U.S. will next take the pitch as a team in June, when they host Korea Republic in a pair of friendlies to begin Hayes' tenure in charge. As they prepare for the Paris Games, the Costa Rica match will thereby serve as their fourth and final test.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a move for a "magician" of a footballer, seeing him as someone who could replace a current Reds hero in a surprising swap deal.

Liverpool eyeing more signings

Jurgen Klopp did some of the most important transfer business of his whole tenure during the summer window, as he completely rebuilt his midfield. By bringing in the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool acquired the services of some young and exceptionally gifted midfield players, having looked so jaded in that area last season, when Fabinho and Jordan Henderson struggled greatly.

While things have been transformed in the middle of the park, further signings need to arrive elsewhere, and the Reds have been linked with plenty of new faces. Liverpool are reportedly leading the race to sign Sporting CP star Goncalo Inacio, for example, seeing him as someone who can bolster their defensive options.

Meanwhile, Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati has been tipped to move to Anfield, as Klopp potentially looks to find a long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah. Another attacking ace has also been thrown into the mix, with a surprise swap deal potentially in the works.

Liverpool eyeing Raphinha-Diaz swap deal

According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are interested in signing Barcelona winger Raphinha, bringing him in as a direct swap for Luis Diaz, who has been hailed as "exceptional" by Jurgen Klopp in the past.

It is claimed that the Reds see the former Leeds United winger as a strong option to snap up, and are happy to see Diaz head in the opposite direction in the process. There is no question that Raphinha is an extremely talented footballer, with the Brazilian so often standing out as one of Leeds' best players during his time there.

Dan James, a teammate of his at Elland Road, had this to say before the move to Barca: "He’s a magician. He’s always been a great player – I played against him at United and he was always great – but he’s improved so much."

A classy wide player with a beautiful left foot, it is easy to see why the Reds admire Raphinha, even though his time at Barca has been fairly underwhelming, with the Liverpool target scoring 12 goals and getting 15 assists in 61 appearances for the La Liga giants.

To see Diaz leave is something that the club shouldn't even be entertaining, however, with the Colombian an elite wide player who has looked somewhere close to his best again this season, as he battles back from a serious knee injury last term. Still only 26, the Liverpool ace is the same age as Raphinha and is arguably a more potent provider of end product, with Diaz's stats of four goals in ten starts impressive given what's happened in his personal life in recent weeks.

The Colombia superstar is also a left-sided player, whereas Raphinha is happier cutting in from the right, so it wouldn't make a huge amount of sense to replace the latter with the former. Should he come in, though, Liverpool would be getting a very talented attacker – one who could develop further from playing under Klopp.

The Senegal international had another afternoon to forget against Man City, but it shouldn't detract from what has still been a promising debut season

Chelsea really should have an FA Cup final date with Manchester United to look forward to. Mauricio Pochettino's side went down 1-0 against Manchester City in a pulsating last four tie on Saturday, with Bernardo Silva scoring the only goal of the game late on, but it could have been so different.

The Blues were unfortunate not to receive a penalty for what appeared to be a clear Jack Grealish handball in the second half, and they spurned a host of glorious chances – most of which fell to Nicolas Jackson. The 22-year-old's lack of composure proved costly, and overshadowed what was otherwise an impressive individual performance.

"Jackson was arguably the best player on the pitch and the worst player on the pitch all in the same game, which I have not seen before," former England defender Stuart Pearce said after covering the game for . "If he could finish, they would have won comfortably.”

It was a continuation of what has been a very mixed first year in English football for Jackson, who hasn't quite managed to justify his £30 million ($37m) price tag. It would be easy for Chelsea to write off that investment and look for suitors in the summer transfer window, accepting that Jackson won't be the man to break their No.9 curse. But that could be a mistake.

Jackson is on a steep learning curve, but there is still plenty of reason to believe he can go on and become a Stamford Bridge favourite, albeit not quite in the same mould as the man he is most often compared to…

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  Never be another Drogba

  There are only two strikers who have managed to live up to expectations at Chelsea over the past 20 years: Brazilian-born brute Diego Costa and Ivory Coast icon Didier Drogba. Every new centre-forward that arrives at Stamford Bridge has the added pressure of trying to succeed where the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku failed, and Jackson is no different, despite the fact he is still very much at the start of his career.

  Pretty much as soon as he arrived in west London, Jackson had to face questions about potentially emulating Drogba, who is widely regarded as one of Chelsea's greatest ever players. Drogba won four Premier League titles and the Champions League across two spells with the Blues, and scored 10 goals in 10 finals for the club, which earned him a reputation as the ultimate big-game player.

  Drogba was quick, strong and ruthless in front of goal, unstoppable at his best and a joy to watch. It's understandable that fans want Jackson to be his heir, but the reality is, there will never be another Chelsea player that matches up to the devastatingly brilliant Ivorian.

  Pochettino admitted as much when launching a staunch defence of Jackson after his profligate display against City at the weekend, and backed him to silence his critics. "If we compare with Drogba, yes, he is always going to lose," he said. "We need to split the history of the club with the performance of Jackson. He has all my support because even if he doesn't always score, the way he is fighting for the club and his team-mates… He is going to be better next season, no doubt. He just needs to keep going."

  It's easy to forget that Drogba also started slowly at Chelsea too; Jackson has actually already surpassed his first-season tally of 12 Premier League goals. It wasn't until his third year at Stamford Bridge that Drogba broke the 20-goal barrier, and he was playing in a far better side than Jackson, with the likes of Frank Lampard, Arjen Robben and Joe Cole backing him up.

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  Only one thing missing

  Jackson is not a natural finisher, and that was patently clear once again at Wembley. In the first half he was played through one on one with Stefan Ortega and clumsily attempted to go around the City goalkeeper instead of shooting, which led to him giving up possession cheaply. He had the chance to make amends in the second half, only for his tame side-footed effort to be pushed away by Ortega, and then somehow failed to convert a point-blank header moments later.

  "I feel for him a little bit because he made lots of good movement, he’s a young striker, the attributes we saw in him today where he’s racing Kyle Walker, he’s shown pace, he’s shown good movement, but there’s a technical detail there, the extra touch, the decision-making at the highest level in these highest level of games are the difference," Drogba's former partner in crime Lampard said on after the match.

  "The header, you hit anywhere but his body it’s a goal… I feel for him, we’ve all been there, we’ve all missed chances and it’s a critical one for the game. But as a young player that’s the level that you have to be a striker for Chelsea."

  Lampard is absolutely right, and the criticism will continue if Jackson's output doesn't improve quickly, but he is still getting in the right positions. The former Villarreal man looks to get in behind at every opportunity and is always positive on the ball; he's never anonymous or caught not working hard enough.

  Only four players can better Jackson's non-penalty xG in the Premier League this season (13.9), and although he's underperforming based on that metric, it proves that he's doing everything right in the build-up, and simply needs to add a clinical edge to his game.

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  Example of the 'King of Chaos'

  To reach the next level, Jackson might be well advised to follow Darwin Nunez's example at Liverpool, with the Uruguayan having emerged as one of the most important members of Jurgen Klopp's squad after a frustrating debut campaign at Anfield. Nunez only scored nine Premier League goals last season, and like Jackson, was often let down by his end product after impressing in general play.

  It was a disappointing year for Liverpool's record signing, but those raw edges have been sharpened this term, as he's managed to record 31 goal contributions in 49 appearances across all competitions. Nunez is still unpredictable, which is why he has been dubbed the Reds' 'King of Chaos', but he's far more effective in advanced areas now.

  "The first year was hard for him, and then hard for me as well because you see this incredible talent, massive potential, but it’s difficult to unfold it," Klopp said when asked about Nunez's adaptation in November. "I’m obviously a manager who can help a player, but I need contact for that. In an ideal world, you can speed up the process by talking a lot with the player. I was not able to do that because I don’t speak Spanish, but his English is now much better and my Spanish still isn’t. [He’s] settled in the team, when you see him around the building here, everything is different. I’m a bit afraid of the highs he could reach because there is so much there, it’s crazy."

  Jackson's ceiling isn't quite as high as Nunez's, but he does have the same work ethic and still has plenty of potential to unlock. He is already fluent in English, too, which means Pochettino should have no issues when it comes to helping him become a more well-rounded centre-forward.

  This is just the beginning for Jackson, the main thing is he's shown real strength of character in the face of adversity, and the future is bright if he continues on his current trajectory.

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  Best is yet to come

  To properly put Jackson's maiden year at Stamford Bridge into context, it is necessary to highlight the fact he joined a Chelsea squad in complete disarray. The Blues slumped to a shocking 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season, despite the lavish spending of new owners Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital Group, and Pochettino was also given a huge war chest in the summer transfer window.

  Jackson was one of eight major new signings, and has arguably been the most impressive of them all, with £115m ($147m) man Moises Caicedo and Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez among those to endure far worse teething problems. Chelsea also offloaded 10 first-team stars, including Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic, as Pochettino attempted to revamp the squad in his image.

  Consistency has once again proven elusive for Chelsea, and they are destined for another trophy-less season, but Jackson has been one of the real bright sparks throughout. He is also well aware of where he needs to improve, as he told reporters after scoring his 11th goal of the season in a 2-2 draw with Brentford last month: "It’s not enough because I missed a lot, a lot of chances. I should have scored more than 11."

  The only time he really let himself down was when he tried to take a penalty away from Cole Palmer in Chelsea's 6-0 home win over Everton, which was a childish move, but he is still young and will make mistakes. He's settled into his new surroundings remarkably well all things considered, and the best is yet to come, especially since the Blues are now finally starting to show signs of cohesion under Pochettino.