Delap's Right-Wing Gamble Backfires as Chelsea's Timid Arsenal Approach Proves Costly

Liam Delap's unhappiness was written all over his face when Liam Rosenior opted to station him on the right flank for Chelsea's trip to the Emirates. The setup looked designed to launch long balls toward the striker, yet it left him stranded and utterly ineffective—a square peg in a round hole, as they say.

Rosenior's gameplan was clear enough: hunker down for an hour while trailing 3-2, then unleash the attack in the final half-hour. Trouble was, it never materialised. When Cole Palmer and Estevao eventually arrived off the bench, Chelsea remained toothless. According to Ruud Gullit, Delap "looked totally out of place" on the wing, and the tactical restraint simply didn't pay dividends.

"Liam Delap was not happy with starting on the right wing against Arsenal," Gullit explained. "It's clear that Liam Rosenior played him there so they could launch long balls to him, but he looked totally out of place. I know it was all tactical, but I don't think Delap looked happy about it at all."

Gullit reckoned the real issue was Delap's isolation from Joao Pedro, who cut a lonely figure leading the line. Pairing them together in attack from the start, the former Chelsea ace suggested, might have unlocked both players. Instead, Rosenior's cautious blueprint left the Brazilian stranded and his partner marooned out wide.

"If you get the ball into the box, then Delap will do his best to get on the end of it," Gullit continued, "but when you're asking him to drop deeper into midfield or out wide, then it's a different story. It's a pity that Delap didn't play closer to Joao Pedro, because the Brazilian looked all on his own up front."

The broader tactical picture painted a sorry tale. Chelsea simply lacked the creativity to trouble Arsenal, who defended shrewdly and offered little in the way of opportunities. When the Blues finally went for broke, the damage was done. Arsenal had already begun to sit deeper, and Chelsea couldn't muster the firepower to make a dent.

"Chelsea took too long to be brave against Arsenal last night," Gullit added. "When Cole Palmer and Estevao came on, it looked a little bit better, but that was also because Arsenal themselves began to withdraw as the game went on. Chelsea didn't have the firepower to get close to Arsenal – they barely had any shots on goal."

The manager's setup wasn't without merit—trying to stay solid on the road while trailing is sound thinking. Yet there was a nagging absence of invention throughout. "I understood Liam Rosenior's setup to try and not concede for as long as possible away from home, but there was no creativity throughout the match – nothing at all," Gullit observed. "Arsenal defended well and barely gave them any chances – they were never outplayed in the game."

The Delap Question

The wider debate surrounding Delap's Chelsea career has intensified following his underwhelming display. The club forked out £30m to pinch him from Ipswich ahead of Manchester United last summer, yet some quarters are already questioning whether that was the right call.

Gabby Agbonlahor isn't convinced the move has worked. "No, this isn't working," he said on talkSPORT. "I said when he joined Chelsea that I thought he should have gone to a team like Everton. Develop there for a couple of years and then make the big move to top-six side. I think the jump from Ipswich to Chelsea was too much."

Agbonlahor sees the raw materials—Delap can hold the ball up and finishes well—but reckons he simply lacks the sharpness required at the Premier League's elite level. "When I look at him as a striker, I like him – he can hold up the ball well, he's a good finisher, but he just doesn't look sharp enough for the top level of the Premier League."

The pundit believes Chelsea should have pursued a different target altogether. Victor Osimhen, who sealed a permanent move from Napoli to Galatasaray for £65m, would have been the superior option in Agbonlahor's view. It's a thought that will sting a bit if Delap continues to struggle in West London.