"What the hell is this?" "Nothing makes me excited anymore" - Chelsea fans fume as striker is benched for Nicolas Jackson against Brighton 

Chelsea fans have slammed Mauricio Pochettino's decision to start Nicolas Jackson over Armando Broja in his starting lineup to face Brighton & Hove Albion today (December 3).

The Blues host Brighton at Stamford Bridge, looking to get back to winning ways. They suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United, with captain Reece James being sent off in that game.

Pochettino has made four changes to the side that were beaten by Newcastle. Axel Disasi comes in at right-back for the suspended James and Levi Colwill will play as a makeshift left-back, taking Marc Cucurella's place.

Moises Caicedo returns to Chelsea's starting lineup, replacing Lesley Ugochukwu, and Mykhailo Mudryk comes in for the injured Cole Palmer. One change that Pochettino hasn't made regards his striker, with Jackson yet again handed a start.

Jackson has had a topsy-turvy spell at Stamford Bridge since joining from Villarreal in the summer. He's bagged seven goals in 15 games across competitions but appears not to have won over Blues fans just yet.

Some would rather have seen Broja start as they believe Jackson is too wasteful. The Albanian striker has managed one goal and one assist in six games across competitions.

Speculation is growing over Broja's future, with a potential departure in January mooted. Fulham are reportedly interested, and Chelsea are open to a loan so that the former Southampton loanee can gain more game time.

One fan made his feelings clear:

"What the hell is?"

Another fan urged the Blues to get a positive result against the Seagulls:

"Team selections, new signings nothing makes me excited anymore, it’s the rare and occasional 3 points that turns me on. Please get it done today."

Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Pochettino's decision to start Jackson over Broja in Chelsea's frontline versus Brighton:

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Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino fired Jackson a warning about his maturity

Nicolas Jackson has been picking up constant bookings for dissent.

Jackson has displayed disciplinary issues throughout the early stages of his Chelsea career. He's picked up seven yellow cards across competitions, mostly stemming from dissent.

This season, the 22-year-old has already served a one-game ban for five yellow cards. It's become an issue that Pochettino wants to see the Colombia international bring a stop to.

The Blues boss warned Jackson about constantly talking to referees in the Premier League. He said (via football.london):

"We are talking about Jackson, he came from a different league. He needs to understand the rules have changed and where is the limit to talk with the referee."

Pochettino added that the Premier League is the toughest in Europe and that it shouldn't be underestimated:

"Like this, many other players, or players who play less than one year. We cannot underestimate the Premier League. The Premier League, you can arrive here, but it is the toughest league."

Jackson has already eclipsed his record of six yellow cards while at Villarreal. He made his senior debut for the La Liga side back in 2020.