🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), 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 recent acquisition's availability is vital for a side facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. 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 queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

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

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier scored only once in the first 10 games.

After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score 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 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games

A midfielder and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."