Delap Returns as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Forward Concerns
Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca stated the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a side facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite interest from Manchester United, St James' Park side and Everton.
Yet the young English striker was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker 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 three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is important. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired 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 a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.
Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has found ways to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers feel the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."
