Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca stated the young striker will be phased in "slowly", and the summer signing's comeback is important for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in 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 games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is still to score this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea followers believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."
