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

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's return is important for a team facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "For sure the physical part is vital. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea face additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his last two games, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the West London club are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and players who sported it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• 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 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 games

A midfielder and backline player are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.

But Delap was unconcerned when asked about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."