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Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is important for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is vital. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea supporters feel the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who wore it since 2006 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 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A midfielder 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 thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the curse. "I don't believe [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 digit that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."