Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "below standard".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a club facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - 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 important. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea followers feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores 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) - failed to score in 20 games
A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
