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

The Blues lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, notably in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

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

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker 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 responsibility must be shared, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, 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) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unmoved when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."