Delap Returns as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not expected return from a groin injury until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
