Delap Back in Action as The Blues Seek to Fix Forward Concerns

Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a club facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea confront broader problems beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers believe the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.

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