🔗 Share this article Delap Makes Comeback as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns Liam Delap registered his sole strike for Chelsea at the international tournament during summer Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard". Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August. Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of winning a trophy this campaign. Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro Delap (to the left) and Joao Pedro arrived at Chelsea this summer for a aggregate £85m Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team. Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason. Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls. More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. 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 queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker." Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense Chelsea face wider issues apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought. Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter. Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece. Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches. After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four. Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign." Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season. Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End? Khalid Boulahrouz failed to score while sporting the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea followers believe the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been vacant since recently, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine. But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament. "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 forwards so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."