🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not expected return from a lower body issue until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

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

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who donned 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 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A midfielder and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."