Former player and assistant Ray Wilkins has questioned why Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte made a number of key changes during the summer.
Last season, Chelsea eased to the Premier League title, but long-serving trio John Terry, Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa have all been allowed to leave Stamford Bridge.
The trio have been replaced by Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata, but Wilkins has suggested that he would have preferred to see the outgoing players remain in West London.
Wilkins told Sky Sports News: "I don't think we are anywhere near as good as last year. We had the best forward (Costa) in the league last year. We had people at the club that you need at a football club, like John Terry.
"I don't know why we didn't offer John something around the club to keep that Chelsea business going on, I really don't.
"Bakayoko is no Matic, not yet anyway. Matic is just superb. I don't think we are anywhere near what we were last year."
Chelsea sit six points adrift of leaders Manchester City in the Premier League table.
Darren Plant
