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

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three assists in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is still to score this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In addition, the Blues 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 supporters believe the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals 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 goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."