🔗 Share this article Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the global competition during the warm season Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard". Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in last month. Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of securing honors this term. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (on the left) and Joao Pedro joined Chelsea this off-season for a combined £85m Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team. Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification. Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton. More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. 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 drop in output, Maresca commented: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, particularly in this league." "Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland." Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea face wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run. Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter. Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George. Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal 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 past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games. After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes. Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season." Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this season. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while bearing the nine shirt for Chelsea Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances A engine room operator and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey. But Delap was unmoved when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament. "Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."