Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's comeback is crucial for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of claiming silverware this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea face broader problems apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but before that got only one goal in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."
