Liam Delap has been struggling at Chelsea.placeholder image
Liam Delap has been struggling at Chelsea. | Getty Images
Enzo Maresca has backed the Chelsea star to find form after his summer transfer move.
Chelsea striker Liam Delap drew another blank in the 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday afternoon as his search for a first goal this season continues.
The former Ipswich Town talisman made a £30 million move from Portman Road this summer and has had a stuttering start to life at Stamford Bridge. Delap missed a chunk of the season with a hamstring injury but has now made seven appearances this term.
Delap scored his first Chelsea goal against Esperance in the Club World Cup but has not hit the back of the net since the start of the 2025/26 season. His zero goals and zero assists across seven outings have earned him the unwanted ‘007’ nickname on social media.
Liam Delap labelled ‘selfish’ by Michael Owen
Chelsea have a big week ahead with clashes against Barcelona and Arsenal and it remains to be seen how many minutes Delap is afforded. Speaking after the Burnley game, Maresca said: “Be patient, no doubt that the goal will arrive and the way he worked today was very important. Liam is also that kind of striker that you as a defender are always worried when he’s around you, so that’s also good for the team.”
Former Premier League striker Michael Owen was not quite so sympathetic in his analysis of Delap’s performance. The former Liverpool man shared a fondness for Delap but labelled his performance against Burnley as ‘selfish’ at times.
In one moment, the striker chose to shoot instead of slotting through teammate Pedro Neto and Owen told Premier League Productions, via Metro: “I do think in this situation he needs to be a little bit more unselfish, he probably could have passed it a couple of times.
‘If he plays this ball in and makes a run to take the defender away, he will leave Neto with a one-on-one in this area. I think he’s got to do that instead of being a bit selfish and thinking he’s going to score a goal on his own. He takes a pot-shot from 25 yards and it’s not great.”
Michael Owen praises Delap’s off-ball work
Owen did join Maresca in sharing praise for the work that Delap does off the ball and the problems he can cause defenders. The 22-year-old scored 12 league goals for Ipswich Town last season, including a goal and assist against the Blues in a 2-0 win last December.
Owen said: “He needs to be aware of the space, he needs to be there before the defender, he can’t wait, he can’t be on the back foot. His size and power, he should be getting hold of that.
“Now this is what he loves, this is what I see he’s great at, all this space in behind, he loves to make a run in behind, he’s in there if there was somebody on the ball who is a little bit more aware of his runs. I do like that from him, he’s very good at that. I think with a little bit of coaching, this fella could be a very good player.”
In other news, Chelsea lucky as Peter Bankes misinterprets Law 16 in controversial Burnley incident - opinion.
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