🔗 Share this article Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Aim to Solve Striker Issues Liam Delap found the net for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during the summer months Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "below standard". Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August. Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a team facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of winning a trophy this season. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (left) and Joao Pedro signed for Chelsea this summer transfer window for a aggregate £85m Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton. Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason. Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton. More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected". When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the fitness aspect 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 reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense Chelsea deal with additional challenges beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought. Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George. Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches. After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four. Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term." Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while sporting the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey. But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition. "In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."