Delap Returns as Chelsea Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".
Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.
Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line
Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter.
Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in various cups no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, 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 term."
Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this campaign.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who sported 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 scores in 58 appearances
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances
A central player and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey 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."