Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues

Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the recent acquisition's availability is crucial for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not expected return from a groin injury until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

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

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the curse. "I'm not one [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 always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."