Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is vital for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three assists 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 revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, 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 manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been available since 2023, and players who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games
A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
