🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a side facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

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

Yet the young English striker was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining 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 midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "For sure the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

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

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this term.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances

A central player and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."