🔗 Share this article Delap Makes Comeback as Stamford Bridge Side Aim to Solve Attacking Problems Liam Delap registered his sole strike for Chelsea at the global competition during summer Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best". Chelsea's forwards are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in August. Maresca said the young striker will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this campaign. Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro Delap (on the left) and Joao Pedro signed for Chelsea this off-season for a combined £85m Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team. Yet the young English striker was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause. Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton. More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully". When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker." Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run. Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not expected return from a groin problem until December. Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica. Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each. Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches. After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four. Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season." Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this season. Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while sporting the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back. But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition. "In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."