Delap Back in Action as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's availability is important for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of securing honors this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the physical part is important. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea face broader problems beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is still to score this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
