Delap Returns as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".
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 (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last term, is still to score this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.
But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."
