Leeds threw a spanner in Chelsea’s title push on Wednesday night.
The relegation threatened Whites pulled out an impressive 3-1 win over the Blues in midweek. Chelsea failed to respond to first half strikes from Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka. Pedro Neto pulled one back shortly after the break before Dominic Calvert-Lewin wrapped up the three points.
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With Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa all earning victory in midweek, Chelsea have dropped to fourth. They’re now nine points off top spot. As difficult as it may seem for supporters, there was a positive to take from the Elland Road reverse.
Cole Palmer made his first appearance since September in Yorkshire on Wednesday. Palmer has been sidelined for the best part of two months due to a groin injury, and then a fractured toe. Granted, he couldn’t inspire a Blues comeback at Elland Road, yet with the games coming thick and fast; the 23-year-old’s availability is a boost.
What that does mean, though, is Liam Delap’s game time may suffer. Delap, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich over the summer, was tasked with leading the line at Leeds in midweek. It was another sub-par showing from young forward. It’s somewhat ironic that the return of one former Manchester City trainee will impact another.
Delap struggling to adapt style to change in approach
The 22-year-old did enough to warrant a £30m move to west London over the summer having scored 12 league goals for the Tractor Boys last season. Even as Ipswich dropped straight back to the Championship, Delap rightly caught the eye. However, he’s failed to translate that solid Ipswich form to Chelsea. Ultimately, that shouldn’t come as a shock.
Ipswich and Chelsea both played vastly different styles last season. Ipswich returned a possession average of just 40%, the lowest in the league. By comparison, Chelsea’s average of 57.1% ranked third. Kieran McKenna implemented a counter-attacking approach that suited Delap’s physically dominating style of play.
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Six of Ipswich’s 36 league goals (16.7%) came following a counter attack. Of those six, four were scored by Delap; only Mohamed Salah (7) scored more counter-attacking goals in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign. Unfortunately for Delap, Chelsea continue to dominate opponents. Indeed, a 58.9% possession average is again the third highest.
Lack of link up play proving a hindrance
As such, Delap can no longer rely entirely on the physical side to his game to overcome defences. Rather, he needs to operate better as a link up man on the frontline, something Delap struggles with. A 66.67% pass accuracy from 12.7 passes per 90 just isn’t good enough for a striker who is required to bring others into play.
By comparison, Joao Pedro boasts a 79.77% pass accuracy from 27 passes per 90. Admittedly, the Brazilian’s numbers are skewed having been used as a number 10. Even so, Pedro is far more effective at linking up with teammates, which suits Enzo Maresca’s gameplan.
What’s more, having a player of Pedro’s calibre leading the charge means Chelsea have an additional creator in attack. With a willingness to drop deeper, Pedro is able to bring teammates into play. As such, he is creating 1.3 chances per 90. Delap, meanwhile, is yet to create one.
Hamstring injury prevented Delap from building rapport
Much of that, though, does stem from Pedro’s greater playing time. A hamstring injury suffered in August means Delap has been restricted to just seven league outings. Pedro capitalised upon Delap’s absence to really consolidate a spot in the Blues setup and strike up an understanding with his attacking teammates.
In addition, Maresca’s approach means Pedro is naturally a better fit on the frontline. As Chelsea dictate the tempo, there is less space in the final third for the forwards. This means the attackers are either capable dribblers or can play the requisite passes to bring others into play.
This is a quality of Delap’s game that falls short. The young forward is averaging 3.1 unsuccessful touches per 90, and with space at a premium in the Chelsea attack, this so often sees attacks break down. Unfortunately for Delap, the disappointing hour-long showing on Wednesday may be his last league start for some time. It’s clear that he’s a square peg in a round hole for Maresca’s side.
And with Palmer now back to fitness, the likelihood is that Maresca will move Pedro forward again in his favoured 4-2-3-1 setup. Wednesday’s loss at Leeds was hardly Delap’s final chance to prove his worth in a Chelsea shirt. However, it was an opportunity to showcase just why the Blues sign the striker in the first place. He failed to maximise said chance.