Delap Returns as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton.
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 scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. 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 score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and a single assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament 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 stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."
Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
- 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 defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."
