Former Chelsea defender pleased with Blues attacking options on display at Club World Cup

Chelsea will go into Tuesday night's FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, hoping their new array of attacking options can fire them into the tournament's final. 

The Blues headed into the competition with new signing Liam Delap, and the young forward has impressed throughout proceedings in the US, notching his first goal in the win over Esperance de Tunis. 

Delap will be suspended for the final four meeting with Fluminense, but his place could go to another new signing in Joao Pedro, who only joined the club from Brighton last week. 

The options available to Enzo Maresca are in stark contrast to last season, and speaking exclusively to DAZN News, thanks to Gameshub, former defender Paul Parker is pleased with the club's business in that area. 

He said, "Well, you have to say it's very good that from a side that was living off of one centre forward last season and to go out and bring in two of them.

"One of them is Liam Delap, who's seriously hungry, in a sense, very aggressive in the way he plays, you knock him a bad ball and try and make it a better ball. And that's Delap, I liked Delap. I thought United could have done with someone like him. He just reminded me of a modern-day Mark Hughes.

"But then they go on, João Pedro as well, who's incredible pace, great technique, and just improved so much as a player. From what he was at Watford, where he was a good player and captain, he's gone to Brighton and he's improved even more so.  And where he plays now, it's not just a centre forward but he can drop deep.

"So, Chelsea are definitely going to improve this season because now they've got themselves two very good centre forwards.

Delap and Pedro's arrival turns up the heat on Nicolas Jackson, who now has triple the competition in his place than he did last season. Parker thinks the Senegalese will need to get his act together if he's to remain the Blues' first choice. 

Adding, "This might be a kick up the rear as well for Nicholas Jackson, because some of the things he's gone and done, you can't behave like that on a pitch. I mean, sending off in a tournament, where he comes on the sub and you think of what you're doing, you're letting down your mates. You don't do that, it's the last thing you do in life.

"It just hasn't helped himself because they missed him at times this season.

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