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Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca commented the young striker will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three setups 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 said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not expected return from a groin problem until next month.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - matching youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.

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

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. 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 initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

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

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

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."