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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the recent acquisition's availability is crucial for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the young English striker was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

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

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine 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 each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and a single assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last term, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that found the net just once in the first 10 games.

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

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."