Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a club facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
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, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters think the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and squad members who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a number that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
