Enzo Maresca Backs Liam Delap for Stardom After Striker's Breakthrough Chelsea Goal
Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca has once again expressed his belief in recent acquisition Liam Delap, who netted his maiden goal for the Blues during their Club World Cup victory against ES Tunis.
Delap, making his second straight start while regular striker Nicolas Jackson serves his suspension, celebrated enthusiastically in added time of the first half after skillfully maneuvering past two defenders and converting his debut Chelsea strike to contribute to a commanding 3–0 win.
Following his assist contribution in his previous appearance this summer, Delap has made an impressive beginning to his Chelsea journey, with Maresca emphasizing that the new number 9, who shone under his guidance at Manchester City's youth setup, has much more to offer.
"In the match against Flamengo, he created three excellent scoring opportunities," Maresca commented post-match. "This demonstrates positive signs as it shows he positions himself correctly and is present where needed.
"We have complete faith that Liam will find the net regularly for our team. Absolutely no uncertainty about this.
"We anticipated Liam's adaptation would be swift. This expectation stems from our mutual familiarity and his understanding of our playing philosophy. For players like Dário [Essugo], Andrey [Santos] or Mamadou [Sarr], the adjustment period will be more challenging as they require time to grasp our tactical approach.
"With Liam, the integration process should be relatively rapid, and he possesses exceptional talent."
Delap was eager to redirect recognition toward midfield maestro Enzo Fernández, who recorded his second assist of the match with an intelligent through ball to his new £30 million ($40.8 million) forward.
"He possesses remarkable abilities," Delap remarked about Fernández. "We've communicated extensively and he's instructed me to make runs when he receives possession, which I executed. He demonstrated his passing excellence today, securing two assists, and I'm fortunate he chose to find me with the ball.