Delap Returns as Chelsea Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a side facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes 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 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 "handled carefully".
When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine 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 ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not expected return from a groin problem until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but before that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this campaign.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a number that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."
