Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Seek to Fix Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, notably in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one setup - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is still to score this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters think the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- 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) - no goals in 20 games
A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."