🔗 Share this article Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Forward Concerns Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during the warm season Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea. The West London club lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar". Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August. Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a club facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this term. Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro Delap (left) and Joao Pedro signed for Chelsea this off-season for a total £85 million Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Everton. Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason. Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls. More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded". When asked about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division." "Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea deal with wider issues in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought. Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a groin problem until December. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - matching academy forward Tyrique George. Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each. Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier scored only once in the initial ten fixtures. After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals. Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term." Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this campaign. Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while bearing the nine shirt for Chelsea Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games 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 lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey. But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup. "In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."