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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the summer signing's availability is important for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last term, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers believe the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since recently, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."