🔗 Share this article Delap Returns as The Blues Look to Address Attacking Problems Liam Delap registered his sole strike for Chelsea at the international tournament during the warm season Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best". Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August. Maresca commented the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season. Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro Delap (left) and Joao Pedro arrived at Chelsea this off-season for a combined £85m Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton. Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason. Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls. More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca stated 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 "shielded". When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably in this division." "Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine." Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run. Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December. Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his past two matches, but before that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures. After thirteen fixtures in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four. Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last season." Maresca has found ways to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz didn't find the net while wearing the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea supporters feel the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and players who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey. But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup. "In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."