Chelsea dropping points against Bournemouth is already bad news, but Enzo Maresca has added to the woes.
Maresca has addressed the media after another underwhelming Premier League road trip.
Chelsea will have been well aware of the criticism flying in their direction after the shock defeat to Leeds during the week, but they couldn’t make up for it with a positive result against Bournemouth.
There were plenty of takeaways from Chelsea vs Bournemouth, but perhaps the most significant was the injury Chelsea sustained early on.
Delap goes off with an early injury…
Did Maresca make the right call bringing on Marc Guiu? 🤔
Liam Delap goes of injured during Chelsea vs Bournemouth
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
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Enzo Maresca provides injury update on Liam Delap
Chelsea’s new striker has barely seen the field this season. Delap only returned from injury last month after being out for the opening stages of the campaign.
His return didn’t go as planned, though. Delap got a red card within minutes of being back on the pitch.
Still, his return was welcome, with Chelsea in need of an out-and-out striker. Maresca doesn’t see Joao Pedro as that.
Liam Delap replaces Joao Pedro during Chelsea vs Arsenal
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images
But he sustained another worrying injury against Bournemouth, and Maresca has shared his first impressions.
As Football London report, he says: “Unfortunately he will be out again – we don’t know how long, but his shoulder looks quite bad.
“He has been unlucky, he has been out two months already and needs to be out again.”
Unlucky is one way of putting it. Another is incredibly frustrating. If it already looks that bad in the first few minutes, it doesn’t bode well for the Englishman, nor for Chelsea.
Chelsea’s number nine curse is real
Since the days of Diego Costa, Chelsea haven’t been able to find a reliable centre-forward.
Delap is the latest to be hit with what feels like fictional levels of misfortune.
With Emanuel Emegha and Dastan Satpayev arriving in the summer, it gives the Blues a fair chance of one working out.
How many goals will Emanuel Emegha score for Chelsea next season?
Emanuel Emegha reacts during Strasbourg vs Marseille
Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
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As it stands, though, you can’t deny that the curse is real.
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