Delap Returns as Chelsea Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is important for a side facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "For sure the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is without a goal this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and players 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) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A midfielder and defender are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
