Delap Returns as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "slowly", and the summer signing's availability is important for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea face additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this campaign.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- 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): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
