Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature 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 a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and players who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- 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 sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A midfielder and defensive specialist 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 excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."