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Attacker Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

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

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite interest from Manchester United, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the physical part is crucial. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward 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 every season like the Polish striker, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

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

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until next month.

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 recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and induced an opposition error 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 - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from defensive position last campaign, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in various cups no forward has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a number that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."