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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's return is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face wider issues beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in various cups no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, 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 manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and players who sported it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest 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 unconcerned when asked about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.

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