Delap Back in Action as The Blues Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a side facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated 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 "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a groin injury until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in various cups no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."