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

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's return is vital for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."

"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 give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Attacker Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike 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 goals.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this campaign.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

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

A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

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

"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 appreciate and there's zero expectation."