Delap Back in Action as The Blues Seek to Fix Striker Issues
Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a side facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, 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 the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one setup - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- 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): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
