Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is vital for a side facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless 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 questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not expected return from a groin problem until next month.
Winger 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 £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
