Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the summer signing's return is important for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront broader problems apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no forward has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
