Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Aim to Solve Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until the winter.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the first division this season.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
- 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 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- 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 achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."