Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and provide 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."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea followers believe the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores 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): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
