Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this season.
Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect 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 net twenty times annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the City striker."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea deal with wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but earlier scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.
Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A midfielder and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."