Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a side facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches 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 failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. 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 "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Definitely the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably 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 find the net and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches
A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx 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 global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a number that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."