Delap Makes Comeback as Chelsea Seek to Fix Striker Issues

Forward Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a club facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.

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

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures 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 "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

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

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in every tournament no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A midfielder and backline player are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."