🔗 Share this article Delap Back in Action as Chelsea Look to Address Striker Issues Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during the summer months Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard". Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer. Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this term. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (on the left) and Joao Pedro joined Chelsea this summer for a combined £85m Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton. Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause. Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton. More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded". When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run. Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December. Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games. After 13 matches in every tournament no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals. Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season." Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season. Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End? Khalid Boulahrouz didn't find the net while sporting the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine. But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition. "Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."