🔗 Share this article

Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is crucial for a side facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite pursuit by the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly 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 find the net and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea face broader problems beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

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

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in various cups no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

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

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In addition, 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?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."