🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is crucial for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea supporters think the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."