Delap Returns as Chelsea Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "below standard".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a side facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not expected return from a groin injury until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that got only one goal in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.
Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."