Time for Liam Delap to step up for Chelsea after stop-start beginning to Stamford Bridge career | OneFootball

Delap has endured a frustrating few months since his £30m summer move from Ipswich but the striker could play a key role for Enzo Maresca

Featuring as a substitution for his first appearance in 61 days after a hamstring injury, Delap was sent off just 25 minutes into his return in last Wednesday’s eventual 4-3 Carabao Cup win at Wolves for collecting two yellow cards in the space of seven minutes.

Having served his suspension as Chelsea cruised past Tottenham on Saturday, Delap will be champing at the bit for involvement against Qarabag this evening, with Enzo Maresca likely to hand him more match minutes either from the off or from the bench.

Following injury and then after seeing red, there is some level of pressure on the 22-year-old striker to show Chelsea fans why the club squeezed ahead of Manchester United in the queue to sign him from Ipswich Town, where last term he netted 12 Premier League goals.

Delap was sent off against Wolves on his comeback from injury last week

AFP via Getty Images

Delap apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room at Molineux after being accused by his manager of “playing the game for himself”, and a furious Maresca insisted he “absolutely deserved” the dismissal for “a stupid foul”. Time now to make amends.

Chelsea’s recruitment team felt pleased with having secured a relative bargain when they got the signing of Delap over the line for just £30million. But a stop-start first five months with the Blues will have frustrated the young centre-forward, regularly namechecked by England head coach Thomas Tuchel as a potential international of the not-so-distant future.

First, though, he must grasp opportunities like the Champions League tie in Baku, where Qarabag will throw everything at Chelsea, just as they did in their first three league stage games. They are level on with Chelsea on six points and have led every team they have faced at one stage or other in all three of their matches. The Azerbaijani outfit should pose a sterner test than might be expected.

All the more reason for Delap to be used from the start, as Maresca plans to make changes from the team that so comfortably muzzled Spurs at the weekend.

At the forefront of the striker’s mind will be adding to the only Chelsea goal he has scored to date - a sublime take, turn and finish against Esperance Tunis in the group stage of the Club World Cup. When Chelsea rocked up at the London Stadium and thrashed West Ham 5-1 in August, Delap helped to draw defenders away but did not register a goal involvement. The coming weeks and months present the opportunity for him to ease into life at Chelsea and make a telling impact.

Delap’s return should give Chelsea balance in the final third, as well as goals

Action Images via Reuters

Maresca admitted on countless occasions during Delap’s absence that he has been looking forward to having him back because it provides him with another striking option and affords him the chance to play Joao Pedro as a No10, where the Brazilian should benefit from more space in which to operate. Cole Palmer’s impending return from injury - also in the No10 position - is a separate matter entirely where Joao Pedro is concerned, but certainly Maresca views Delap as the most obvious focal-point No9 in Chelsea’s squad.

Delap's overall performance against Esperance - aside from his sole Chelsea goal - was instructive of what he can provide for the Blues when in full flow. At his best, he drives down avenues with the ball, draws defenders away from other Chelsea playmakers, uses his physicality to hold the ball up, lays it off and drops deep to receive and spread wide.

Chelsea lacked many of these traits during Delap’s time on the treatment table. If he can now keep his fitness - and his head - then his return should bring Maresca’s team balance in the final third, as well as goals.