🔗 Share this article Delap Returns as The Blues Aim to Solve Striker Issues Liam Delap scored his only goal for Chelsea at the global competition during summer Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea. The Blues were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard". Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in last month. Maresca commented the young striker will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a side facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this term. Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro Delap (left) and Joao Pedro joined Chelsea this summer transfer window for a combined £85m Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees. 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 solid justification. Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton. More lately, 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 "handled carefully". When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition." "Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine." Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought. Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until December. Wide player 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 £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica. Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George. Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each. Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is without a goal this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches. After 13 matches in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals. Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term." Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this campaign. Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift? Khalid Boulahrouz was goalless while sporting the number nine for Chelsea Some Chelsea followers believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games 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 score in twenty-five matches Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine. But Delap was unfazed when asked 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 figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."