Delap Back in Action as The Blues Look to Address Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is vital for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."
"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 score and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in all competitions no striker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, 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 term."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers 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 summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who wore 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) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A central player and defender are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a number that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."
