Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has praised new signing Liam Delap following the striker’s eye-catching debut in the Blues’ 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC in their Club World Cup opener on Monday.
Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town in a reported £30 million deal earlier this month, came off the bench in the second half and made an instant impact.
The 22-year-old assisted Enzo Fernandez for Chelsea’s second goal 15 minutes after entering the fray.
It was a reunion for Delap and Maresca, who previously worked together during their time in Manchester City’s academy. The Chelsea boss revealed he had no doubts about the young forward’s readiness for top-level football.
“The good thing about Liam is that he knows the way we want to play, so the process is quite quick,” Maresca said in a post-match interview on Channel 5. “He delivered exactly what I expected.”
Nicolas Jackson started the match as Chelsea’s central striker and played a pivotal role in Pedro Neto’s 34th-minute opener.
But Delap’s energetic cameo added another dimension to Chelsea’s attack, with the youngster creating two more chances, a tally only surpassed by Neto and Jackson on the night.
Speaking after the match, Delap welcomed the competition for the striker role, saying: “It’s always healthy to have competition. It’s football and it’s an incredible club, so it’s going to be hard, but you’ve got to thrive off competition.”
Delap, who netted 12 goals for Ipswich in the Championship last season, appears to be quickly adapting to life at Stamford Bridge.
“It was really exciting to be here, to play my first game and contribute — it’s a good feeling,” he added. “They’ve welcomed me. I’ve only had a few sessions, but I can’t wait for even more.”
As Chelsea shifted their focus to Friday’s clash against Brazilian side Flamengo, Maresca emphasized the need for recovery and preparation amid the tight schedule.
“We need to recover, game in three days. We’ll see,” Maresca said. “At this stage of the season, it is also normal that you have to manage different kinds of things. Overall, the performance has been good.”
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