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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "For sure 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 classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront broader problems beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in various cups no striker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.

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