Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a side facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is without a goal this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who wore 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) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- 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 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
