🔗 Share this article Delap Returns as Chelsea Look to Address Attacking Problems Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during summer Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "below standard". Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in the summer. Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of claiming silverware this campaign. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (on the left) and Joao Pedro arrived at Chelsea this summer for a combined £85m Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees. Yet the young English striker 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 outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls. More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully". When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this league." "Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine." Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea confront broader problems beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run. Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George. Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the opening ten matches. After thirteen fixtures in various cups no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals. Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season." Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place 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 season. Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while wearing the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back. But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup. "In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."