Delap Returns as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed 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 drop in output, Maresca remarked: "For sure the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division."
"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 find the net and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not expected return from a groin problem until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his last two games, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A central player and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
