Delap Returns as Chelsea Look to Address Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is important for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, St James' Park side and Everton.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and players who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- 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 score in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [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 historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."
