Liam Delap sends Nicolas Jackson message over Chelsea striker battle after debut impact
Dream debut: Liam Delap provided an assist off the bench for Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea beat LAFC at the Club World Cup (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Liam Delap says he will 'thrive' off the competition with Nicolas Jackson to be Chelsea's No9.
Delap made his debut for Chelsea on Monday night after joining the Blues from Ipswich earlier this month for £30million.
Advertisement
The striker set up Enzo Fernandez for Chelsea's second goal as they kicked off their Club World Cup campaign by beating LAFC 2-0.
Jackson assisted Chelsea's other goal, teeing up Pedro Neto in the first half, and Delap is relishing the prospect of a battle to be the Blues' starting striker.
'I think it is always healthy to have competition, it is football,' Delap told DAZN. 'This is an incredible club and so it is always going to be hard, but I think you have got to thrive off the competition.
'It's a really happy feeling for me [to make my Chelsea debut]. I'm so excited to be here and to play my first game and to contribute is a good feeling.
Advertisement
'They (the Chelsea squad) have welcomed me really well. I have only had a few sessions here but I cannot wait for even more. It is really important to help the team, but I want to score some as well.'
Jackson was Chelsea's first-choice striker last season and he was given the nod to start against LAFC.
The Senegal international put in a good performance and he had a header cleared off the line in the second half.
Enzo Maresca has given Delap no assurances that he will replace Jackson in the starting lineup, but has praised the 22-year-old for getting up to speed quickly.
Delap worked with Maresca during his youth career at Manchester City and is familiar with the Chelsea boss' style of play.
Advertisement
'The good thing about Liam is that he knows the way we want to play, so the process is quite quick,' said Maresca.
'Also we gave a chance to Dario Essugo, that is another player [we have], so it's good for both of them.
'Overall the performance has been good and we won the game. It was a very good result. At this stage of the season it is also normal that you have to manage different kinds of things.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
27 minutes ago
- Washington Post
'Welcome to Wrexham' poster boy Paul Mullin leaves club on a season-long loan deal
WIGAN, England — Paul Mullin, the poster boy of a Wrexham team soaring through England's soccer leagues following its takeover by Hollywood celebrities, has left the club to join third-tier Wigan on a season-long loan deal. 'I'm excited for the next part of my story,' Mullin told Wigan's official website on Monday. 'I've scored a lot of goals over the last few years, but more than anything, I give my absolute all for the club that I'm playing for, and I'm going to do that again with Wigan.'
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Superstar Inter Milan Midfielder Admits Inzaghi's Departure Was ‘Strange News' – Adds ‘This Group Is Not Divided'
Superstar Inter Milan Midfielder Admits Inzaghi's Departure Was 'Strange News' – Adds 'This Group Is Not Divided' Nicolo Barella admits that it came as 'strange news' when Simone Inzaghi decided to leave Inter Milan. The 28-year-old spoke to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInterNews. He also insisted that the Nerazzurri are 'not divided.' Advertisement Simone Inzaghi left Inter Milan right at the start of June. The timing of the 49-year-old's exit was certainly particularly significant. He departed just a few days after Inter had lost the Champions League 5-0 against Paris Saint-Germain. Moreover, there had been rumours about Inzaghi's departure floating around for weeks before he made his decision. Inzaghi made the decision to leave the Nerazzurri and join Al-Hilal. This came right after he had decided to depart. However, it was not as though Al-Hilal had just come onto the scene. Nicolo Barella Admits 'Inzaghi Leaving Inter Was Strange News' Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella admits that Inzaghi leaving was 'strange news.' Advertisement 'After four years, it had been habit to be with him,' the Italian international continued. 'When I was at Cagliari, I went through a lot of changes of coach. And even at Inter.' 'I know how it works,' Barella continued. 'I'm not saying I'm used to it. But I know how it works.' 'The only thing I did was thank Inzaghi and his staff,' added the 28-year-old. 'For the four fantastic years, years of growth and great feelings.' Then, Barella gave his thoughts on Inter at the Club World Cup this summer. 'I agree 100% with the idea that you always have to compete,' he said. 'That was a reflection of last season.' Advertisement 'We didn't manage to win,' Nicolo Barella added. 'But it was a season that left us with a lot, both negative and positive.' 'Now we're here to pick ourselves back up and do the best we can.' And Barella said of Inter's mentality after the Champions League final that 'I don't think that the group is divided.' 'But logically, after certain losses, you start to feel a certain discomfort.' 'When you win everything is fine,' Barella said. 'But I don't think that there's anyone in the group who doesn't want the best for Inter.'
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Botafogo v Atlético de Madrid: line-ups confirmed for showdown
In a team that's winning... Even more so if they can lose by up to 2-0. Botafogo takes the field to challenge another European team with the same lineup that succeeded in the victory over PSG last Thursday. Advertisement They face Atlético de Madrid, starting at 4 PM, at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, for the third round of Group B of the Club World Cup, with: John; Vitinho, Jair, Barboza, and Alex Telles; Gregore, Allan, and Marlon Freitas; Artur, Savarino, and Igor Jesus. On the other side, Atlético de Madrid made three changes: they replaced the Brazilian midfielder Samuel Lino with the English midfielder Gallagher, the French forward Griezmann is replaced by the Norwegian striker Sorloth, and the defender Lenglet returns from suspension, taking the place of José Giménez. The 11 chosen by coach Simeone are: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, and Javi Galán; Pablo Barrios, De Paul, Gallagher, and Giuliano Simeone; Julián Álvarez and Sorloth. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
