Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is important for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of winning a trophy this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this season.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea supporters think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
- 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 score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- 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) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
