Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one setup - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans believe the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- 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 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.
"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
