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Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's return is important for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

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

Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores 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): 45 goals in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

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

"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."