Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is crucial for a side facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the physical part is important. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, particularly 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 create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- 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 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games
A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."