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Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a side facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the physical part is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until the winter.

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

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been vacant since last year, and footballers who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games

A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."