Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a side facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of claiming silverware this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored 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 questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. 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 PSG forward or the City striker."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching 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 season, is without a goal this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been vacant since recently, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back 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."
