Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Striker Issues
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Definitely the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but before that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.
Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and backline player are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."
