Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the summer signing's return is important for a team facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea followers believe the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
