Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their forwards 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 groin problem until the winter.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but earlier scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and backline player are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."
