Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a club facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- 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 lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
