Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's return is important for a club facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca stated 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 drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, especially in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is still to score this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, 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 goals in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
