🔗 Share this article Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Aim to Solve Forward Concerns Liam Delap found the net for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during summer Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea. The West London club lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best". Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer. Maresca said the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a side facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (to the left) and Joao Pedro arrived at Chelsea this summer for a combined £85m Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite interest from Manchester United, Newcastle United and the Toffees. Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason. Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls. More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully". When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine." Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense Chelsea face broader problems beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought. Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George. Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each. Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is still to score this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games. After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four. Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last term." Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this term. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while wearing the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea fans believe the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches A central player and defender are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx 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 jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup. "At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."