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Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is crucial for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was below £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - 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 vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed 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 games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last term, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans feel the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
• 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 goal in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

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

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."