Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of claiming silverware this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
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, signed 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 outings 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 one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A midfielder and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [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 number that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
