Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Look to Address Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is crucial for a club facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face additional challenges apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has found ways to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
