Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Aim to Solve Attacking Problems

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

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

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

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

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

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers think the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

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

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.

"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."