Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the summer signing's return is important for a club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances 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 joining from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, 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 eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
