Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said 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 decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games 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 setup - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A central player and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
