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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's difficult to compete, notably in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with additional challenges beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his last two games, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in all competitions no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has found ways to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

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