Delap Returns as The Blues Seek to Fix Attacking Problems
Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.
The Blues lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca said the young striker will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is important for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."
Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense
Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until December.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. 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 thirteen games in every tournament no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.
Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?
Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and players who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score 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 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches
A engine room operator and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.
But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.
"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."
