Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is important for a side facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three setups in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is without a goal this term. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."