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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's return is vital for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but before that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in every tournament no striker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been available since recently, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• 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 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) - no goals in sixteen matches
• 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 defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

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