Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face wider issues beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
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.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
