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

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.

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

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

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

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is important. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

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

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but earlier found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in all competitions no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers believe the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

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

A midfielder and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.

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

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a figure that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."