Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is crucial for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.
After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and players who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, 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 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
