Hasselbaink blames confidence crisis for Liam Delap’s Chelsea goal drought

Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes a lack of confidence, not talent, is at the heart of Liam Delap’s difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge.

Delap, who arrived from Ipswich Town in a £30 million move, has struggled to make an impact, scoring just twice in 36 appearances across all competitions.

The young striker’s last goal came in January during a defeat to Fulham, and he has since endured a lengthy run without finding the net.

His struggles have been highlighted further after a quiet outing against Brighton & Hove Albion, with growing scrutiny over his adaptation to life at one of England’s biggest clubs.

Hasselbaink insists the issue is largely psychological, pointing to irregular playing time as a major factor affecting the striker’s rhythm.

According to the former Blues forward, Delap’s stop-start involvement, sometimes limited to brief substitute appearances, has made it difficult for him to build momentum and confidence in front of goal.

He explained that prolonged periods without scoring can lead strikers to second-guess themselves, ultimately impacting decision-making and positioning on the pitch.

“I think for him it’s confidence,” he told talkSPORT (via chelsea.news).

“When you’re out there and you’re not having any rhythm, you know, then he plays, then he doesn’t, then he gets ten minutes, then he doesn’t.

“When you are not scoring and it’s taking a long time you get to doubt yourself.

“I think needs he needs coaching because here and there I think he can be in better positions, but I think majority is it is self-belief, it’s confidence.

“You don’t lose your ability from one day to another you don’t become all of a sudden a bad player from one day to another. So, it’s all in the head.”