Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's return is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not expected return from a groin injury until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times 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 developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
