🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca stated 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 "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "Certainly the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face broader problems beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

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

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that 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 shared top goalscorers with four.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A engine room operator and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."