Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
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 their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [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 digit that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
