Delap Back in Action as The Blues Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, 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 at the moment demand to be "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the physical part is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Questioned 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 front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."
