Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues 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 were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face additional challenges beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in every tournament no striker has above two scores, 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 said many times that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and footballers who donned it since 2006 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) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores 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): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when queried 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 shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
