Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Seek to Fix Striker Issues

Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "subpar".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless 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 "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals 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, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

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

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

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

Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when asked about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."