Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems

Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last term, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."