Delap Returns as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns
Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.
Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is vital for a side facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.
Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.
Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the physical part is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until next month.
Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.
Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season."
Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this campaign.
Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?
Some Chelsea followers believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games
A central player and defender are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.
But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.
"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."
