Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, notably in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
