Delap Returns as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, especially in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with broader problems beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen fixtures in various cups no striker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this campaign.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games
A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."
