Chelsea receives good news as the 'throw-in specialist' striker makes a comeback

Coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that young forward Liam Delap has recovered from injury and is likely to be included in Chelsea's squad for the Carabao Cup fourth-round match against Wolves early Thursday morning (Vietnam time).

Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea in the recent summer transfer window from Ipswich Town, was sidelined for two months after sustaining an injury during the 2-0 win over Fulham on August 30th. This was an unfortunate blow as he had only appeared in the first three matches for The Blues before having to leave the pitch early.

However, Maresca brought good news by confirming that the English striker has fully returned to training with the entire squad. The Italian coach said at the pre-match press conference: “He completed a full training session yesterday and is fit to play. Of course, he cannot play a full 90 minutes immediately; he needs time to regain full fitness.”

Alongside this positive update, Maresca amused the media when asked if Liam Delap inherited the “long throw-in gene” from his father, former star Rory Delap, who was famous in the Premier League for his dangerously effective long throw-ins, almost like corner kicks.

Maresca joked: “If Chelsea decides to play long throw-ins, I might just substitute Liam and bring his dad on. Rory was the 'king of long throw-ins' in the Premier League! I’m not asking the club to do a DNA test on Liam! I’m just saying we haven’t considered using long throw-ins yet. Maybe I’ll change my mind later. But for now, no, we haven’t discussed this with Liam.”

Previously, Maresca shared Chelsea’s weakness in defending against long throw-ins, which led to conceding a goal against Sunderland last weekend. However, he stated that the team is working on improving this issue. The Italian strategist said: “We know many Premier League teams use throw-ins as an attacking weapon. It's not easy to defend when the ball is thrown deep into the penalty area, but we are trying to adapt.”

Besides Liam Delap, Coach Maresca also confirmed that Chelsea will rotate their squad heavily in the match against Wolves due to a congested schedule. After the Carabao Cup game, The Blues will face Tottenham in the Premier League on November 2nd, followed by two crucial matches before the international break: against Qarabag in the Champions League and a rematch with Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

With Wolves currently in poor form and yet to win any Premier League games this season, this will be an ideal opportunity for Chelsea to experiment with the lineup, give young players like Delap a chance, and regain morale after the unexpected 1-2 defeat to Sunderland.