Delap Back in Action as The Blues Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "carefully", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a side facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca stated 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 queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans believe the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- 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 strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- 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 goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "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 uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
