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Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

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 at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals 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, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

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

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.

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

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

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

After 13 matches in every tournament no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term."

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

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

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

"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."