🔗 Share this article Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Look to Address Striker Issues Liam Delap found the net for Chelsea at the Club World Cup during the warm season Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard". Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month. Maresca stated the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a side facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign. Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro Delap (to the left) and Joao Pedro joined Chelsea this summer for a aggregate £85m Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by the Red Devils, the Magpies and Goodison Park team. Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause. Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton. More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully". When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, especially in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or the City striker." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak. Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until the winter. Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired 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 score in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece. Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures. After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes. Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign." Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign. Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while bearing the nine shirt for Chelsea Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches A engine room operator and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine. But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition. "At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."