Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a club facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in 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 a single strike in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, 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 English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- 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 goals in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games
A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
