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Forward Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's return is vital for a club facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward 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 found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored 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 "protected".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, especially in this division."

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

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea face wider issues apart from their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.

After 13 matches in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea supporters think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances

A midfielder and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

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

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a number that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."