Enzo Maresca makes Liam Delap claim amid underwhelming scoring form for Chelsea
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Enzo Maresca insisted that Liam Delap "will be important" for Chelsea despite the striker's disappointing goalscoring form so far this season.
Since returning from a hamstring injury in late October, Delap has featured seven times for Chelsea across all competitions, three of which as a starter.
In this period, the 22-year-old scored just once, in the 3-0 Champions League win over Barcelona last week, and he has yet to score a Premier League goal for Chelsea.
He and Joao Pedro are the two primary striker options at Chelsea, and they have combined just three goals for the team since November.
While Chelsea still have relatively positive results overall despite their strikers' underwhelming output, there is no doubt that it puts them at a disadvantage compared to Arsenal and Manchester City, who have in-form Mikel Merino and Erling Haaland, respectively.
Maresca, however, is adamant that Delap, whom he believes is still trying to regain his sharpness after a two-month absence, will deliver.
"It was a long time for him to be out," said the Chelsea head coach when speaking about Delap in Friday's press conference.
"I think he is getting better, and the other day against Leeds, he had two or three chances where he could have done better.
"I know Liam from many years ago at Manchester City, and I don’t have any doubts that he will score goals and be important for us."
Delap finished last season with 12 goals in a poor Ipswich Town side, so Maresca's confidence is not unreasonable.
That said, despite being surrounded by better playmakers at Chelsea, playing as a striker for a top side comes with its own disadvantages as well, such as having to cope with more defensive set-ups and having less space to work with.
Among the hybrid strikers such as Joao Pedro and Tyrique George, Delap is currently the only traditional number nine at Chelsea's disposal, so it is easy to see why Maresca considers him an important piece in his plans.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.