🔗 Share this article Delap Back in Action as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the global competition during the summer months Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea. The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best". Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer. Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is crucial for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this term. Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro Delap (to the left) and Joao Pedro signed for Chelsea this summer transfer window for a combined £85m Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton. Yet the young English striker was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause. Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton. More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded". When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Definitely the physical part is vital. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, notably in this division." "Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought. Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter. Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George. Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last season, is still to score this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but earlier scored only once in the first 10 games. After thirteen fixtures in various cups no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals. Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last campaign." Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz didn't find the net while wearing the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches 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 ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey. But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup. "In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."