Delap Returns as Chelsea Look to Address Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea followers think the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend 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 unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated 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 strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."
