Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a team facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals 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 past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- 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 games
- 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 goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
