Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this season.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. 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 dip in form, Maresca commented: "Certainly the conditioning element is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired 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 caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."
