Delap Returns as Chelsea Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
