Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is coming back 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 head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, 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 currently need to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Definitely the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger 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 potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no forward has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete 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 first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been available since last year, and players who sported 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 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [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 kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."
