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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback 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 said the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by the Red Devils, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.

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

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes 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): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A midfielder and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said 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 zero expectation."