🔗 Share this article Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Aim to Solve Attacking Problems Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during summer Forward Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea. The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best". Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month. Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this season. Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro Delap (left) and Joao Pedro arrived at Chelsea this off-season for a aggregate £85m Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees. Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with good reason. Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton. More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded". When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, especially in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a fantastic player, 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 annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak. Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until December. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling youth product Tyrique George. Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the initial ten fixtures. After thirteen games in all competitions no striker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals. Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season." Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this term. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while bearing the nine shirt for Chelsea Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and squad members who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey. But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament. "At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."