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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a side facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Certainly the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and a single assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last term, is still to score this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but before that got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since recently, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• 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 twenty matches

A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a number that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."