Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the summer signing's return is important for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. 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 not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face additional challenges beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no forward has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and players who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- 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 twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
