Delap Returns as The Blues Seek to Fix Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the new recruit's return is important for a club facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face broader problems apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one setup - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- 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 nineteen matches
- 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 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score 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 defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the curse. "I'm not one [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 uniform. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
