Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.
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 goal contributions in his first four Premier League games 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 midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After 13 matches in every tournament no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A central player and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."