🔗 Share this article Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Aim to Solve Attacking Problems Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the global competition during the warm season Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea. The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" 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 EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in August. Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this campaign. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (on the left) and Joao Pedro signed for Chelsea this off-season for a aggregate £85m Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton. Yet the young English striker was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification. Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls. More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. 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 questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly 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 get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker." Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought. Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal 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 setups in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches. After 13 matches in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals. Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign." Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term. Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while wearing the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been vacant since last year, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine. But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup. "Ultimately it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."