Delap Back in Action as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is important for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "Certainly the fitness aspect is important. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the City striker."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, 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 feel the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated 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 appreciate and there's no pressure."
