Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Seek to Fix Attacking Problems

Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.

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

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's availability is important for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

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

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals 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 last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one setup - matching youth product Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no striker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been vacant since 2023, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

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

A central player and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."