Delap Back in Action as The Blues Aim to Solve Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be phased in "slowly", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront broader problems beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last season, is without a goal 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 first 10 games.
After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been available since 2023, and players who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes 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) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
