Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is vital for a team facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront broader problems apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary 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 a single strike and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers think the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores 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) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games
A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
