Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Look to Address Attacking Problems

Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Blues lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is without a goal this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in various cups no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A central player and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."