🔗 Share this article

Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's return is vital for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

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

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."