Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching 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 term, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea followers feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a number that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
