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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a team facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite pursuit by Manchester United, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - 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 Brazil striker scored another two and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

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

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not expected return from a groin injury until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

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

Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is still to score this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

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