Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Attacking Problems

Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes 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 past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. 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 [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea deal with additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a groin problem until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."