Club World Cup: Maresca makes feelings clear on Delap after first Chelsea goal

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has expressed strong confidence in Liam Delap's goalscoring prowess after his exploits in the Blues’ 3-0 win over Esperance.

Tosin Adarabioyo and Delap scored as the opening half drew to a close, and it stayed that way until Tyrique George netted a late third in second-half stoppage time. 

Having come into the side from the off due to Nicolas Jackson’s suspension, the former Ipswich Town forward netted impressively for the first time since moving to the London giants. 

Maresca highlighted that despite missing three clear opportunities against Flamengo in the previous match, Delap's consistent positioning demonstrated his understanding of the team's tactics. 

The Italian manager anticipates a swift integration process for the centre-forward at Chelsea due to their mutual familiarity with the playing style.

“We know Liam is going to score goals for us, we don’t have any doubts about that,” said Maresca.

“Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances to score goals, so that is a good feeling because it means he is there, he is in the right position and doing well. Unfortunately, he didn’t score against Flamengo, but tonight he scored.

“We expect the process to be quite quick with Liam because we know him and he knows us in the way we want to play.

“Liam, we know each other very well, so the process with him is quite quick, and it’s also because he is a very good player.”

Maresca’s team will face Benfica in the competition’s last 16, seeking a place in the quarter-finals, where they could face Palmeiras or Botafogo.