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

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is important for a team facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the physical part is vital. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

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

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - matching youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.

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