Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Certainly the fitness aspect is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- 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) - failed to score in 20 appearances
A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."
