Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Look to Address Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a club facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored 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 queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face broader problems beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."
