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

The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's availability is vital for a side facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the conditioning element is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice 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 potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans believe the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx 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 queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

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