🔗 Share this article Delap Returns as Chelsea Aim to Solve Forward Concerns Liam Delap registered his sole strike for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during the summer months Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea. The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "not the best". Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem 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 club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (on the left) and Joao Pedro signed for Chelsea this summer transfer window for a aggregate £85m Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees. Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause. Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton. More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded". When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably in this division." "Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought. Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until next month. Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George. Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last season, is still to score this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that got only one goal in the opening ten matches. After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes. Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last season." Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season. Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift? Khalid Boulahrouz didn't find the net while wearing the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games 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): 45 goals in 172 appearances Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine. But Delap was unfazed when asked about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament. "Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."