Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Seek to Fix Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is important for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "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 traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, 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 campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans believe the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would argue 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 unmoved when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"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."
