Delap Back in Action as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a team facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.
More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, notably in this league."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in all competitions no attacker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this season.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse 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 curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
