Delap Returns as Chelsea Aim to Solve Striker Issues
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a team facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".
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 difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net 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."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last term, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but before that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
