Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca stated the young striker will be phased in "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with broader problems beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling 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 season, is still to score this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and players who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."