The two sides to Nicolas Jackson's game and the Chelsea conundrum facing Mauricio Pochettino

It could have been oh so different for Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea on Saturday had the Blues not passed up so many opportunities against Man City. Enduring Wembley woe time and time again in recent years, the west London club slipped to a slender 1-0 defeat in their FA Cup semi-final tie following Bernardo Silva's 84th-minute winner.

Perhaps a tad cruel on Chelsea with City not at their dominant best, the Blues paid the ultimate price for not taking their chances on goal. They had some gilt-edged ones as well, with Nicolas Jackson notably wasting three golden opportunities that would have given his side the lead and potentially a place in the showpiece final.

Arriving at Chelsea last summer from Villarreal, the 22-year-old has endured a rather up-and-down first season in the Premier League. Thirteen goals and five assists in 37 appearances is a decent return for a player in his first year in a new country trying to adapt to the pace and intensity of England's top flight.

Jackson's numbers show promise, especially for someone of his age and at this stage in his development, and they will undoubtedly grow next season if he can take his game up a further level or two. The one thing many Chelsea fans will point to is that his number of goals should be much higher following some poor misses across the course of the season.

His first miss in the FA Cup semi-final showdown against City very much highlighted poor decision making on his part when clean through. Rather than opt to get a shot away on goal 18 yards out with Stefan Ortega in an advanced position, the Senegal international opted to try and round the goalkeeper but in doing so sent himself wide.

Not only that, it allowed Kyle Walker and John Stones to get back and cover City's goal. His subsequent pass to Cole Palmer was too short and Nathan Ake duly cleared the ball away from danger.

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Jackson couldn't atone for that mistake shortly after the restart as Conor Gallagher played him through on goal. This time opting to shoot, Ortega got a good hand to the ball and seconds later he headed straight at the German from six yards out after Palmer's precise cross.

It was a decisive moment in the contest as the missed opportunities proved costly with City starting to crank up the pressure before eventually scoring through Silva. While a lot of people will of course point to Jackson's crucial misses in the cup contest, the player did demonstrate another side of his game that is impressive.

In the opening stages of the contest with Chelsea creating problems for their opponents, the former Mirandes loanee impressed with his hold-up play and his ability to link up with his teammates. The player did this on more than one occasion and it saw the Blues mount a couple of dangerous attacks.

There are very much two sides to Jackson's game, with his finishing the one that unfortunately lets him down on more than one occasion. If indeed Pochettino and his coaching staff can work on that side of his game and the player makes a significant improvement, the Blues could have a very dangerous player on their hands.

Last Monday's 6-0 win over Everton demonstrated what the striker can do in front of goal as he superbly took in Marc Cucurella's cross, swivelled and then arrowed a shot beyond Jordan Pickford. Just getting that consistency into Jackson's game and when he is in and around the box is what Chelsea need to fine-tune.

It may well all click for the player next season, especially after having one year's worth of Premier League experience under his belt. One thing for certain is that Chelsea really could do with addressing that area of the pitch as they bid to get back on track and competing at the top of the Premier League table once again.

Whether or not Jackson is first-choice striker for the Blues next season, he still has a big part to play for Pochettino going forward. He really could be quite the asset for Chelsea if everything clicks into place for him.