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

The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the summer signing's availability is important for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three 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 drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

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

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since last year, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• 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 twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."