Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues
Forward Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in 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 score in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in every tournament no striker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and players who wore 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 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A engine room operator and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
