🔗 Share this article

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

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is vital for a side facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

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

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until the winter.

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

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

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

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been available since 2023, and players who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."