Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's return is vital for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea deal with broader problems in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and a single assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
