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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the recent acquisition's return is vital for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront broader problems beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is still to score this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in every tournament no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals 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 scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A midfielder and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."