Delap Returns as The Blues Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "subpar".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea face wider issues apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches
A central player and backline player are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
