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Striker Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

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

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the new recruit's availability is important for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When asked about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine 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 distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not expected return from a lower body issue until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings 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 one assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last campaign, is still to score this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the front five at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been available since last year, and players who sported it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals 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 games

A central player and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

"Ultimately it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."