Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns

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

The Blues lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a side facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, notably in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and players who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A central player and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unmoved when asked about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."