Delap Back in Action as The Blues Look to Address Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of winning a trophy this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes 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 recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the physical part is vital. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the City striker."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront broader problems apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, 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 term."
Maresca has found ways to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
