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

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in all competitions no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers think the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when asked about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."