Delap Returns as Chelsea Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the new recruit's availability is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said 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 "handled carefully".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After 13 matches in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and players who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes 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) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games
A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a number that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
