Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is important. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, particularly in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."