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Forward Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of claiming silverware this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront wider issues beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until the winter.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last term, is yet to find the net this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers believe the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been available since last year, and players who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• 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): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A central player and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.

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