Delap Back in Action as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems
Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.
The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.
Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this term.
Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".
When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this division."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.
Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not expected return from a groin problem until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the first 10 games.
After thirteen games in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.
Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, 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 fans believe the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been available since last year, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches
A central player and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.
But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."
