Delap Back in Action as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Forward Concerns

Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three setups in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."

"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 provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with additional challenges beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in all competitions no striker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for 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 first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."