Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Striker Issues

Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's return is important for a club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was below £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 America. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and squad members who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

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

But Delap was unmoved when queried about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

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