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Striker 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 boss Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the young striker will be phased in "slowly", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Definitely the conditioning element is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

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

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is yet to find the net this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the first team to have ten various goalscorers 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 transfer window - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the hoodoo. "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 uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."