🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The West London club lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's return is vital for a club facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers believe the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since recently, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A central player and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unmoved when queried about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."