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Attacker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the summer signing's return is crucial for a side facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Certainly the physical part is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line

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

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

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

Maresca has found ways to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers feel the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• 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 goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

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

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."