Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Definitely the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been available since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games
A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
