Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is important for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea deal with wider issues apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and players who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."