Jose Mourinho gave a frank and honest appraisal of his players after being left bitterly disappointed with their 2-2 draw against Fulham.
The Champions now trail Manchester United by six points after another display in which their underperforming back four and goalkeeper put in forgettable shifts.
In the absence of first choice goalkeeper Petr Cech and talismanic captain John Terry, Chelsea have shipped goals and on Saturday, it was no different in an entertaining West London derby.
Mourinho, despite having what is widely regarded to be the strongest squad in the Premiership, insists he expects little more from his charges - such has been their ineptitude in recent weeks.
"I am disappointed because we didn't get the result we wanted, but not so disappointed because it is not a big surprise for me," he said.
"Everybody knows in this moment that Chelsea cannot defend. I am the first one to know that.
"Maybe we are not as good as we think, maybe I am not such a good manager, maybe the players are not such good players.
"It is exactly the opposite of previous times for us. Teams knew they couldn't score against us and we could dominate matches, now they know they can.
"Hilario is our third-choice goalkeeper and in my opinion he does what he can to the maximum. Ricardo Carvalho is the only central defender we have and he is doing the maximum he can, because he knows he is the only one to play there."
Mourinho thought had his players been sharper in front of goal then the game could have been put to bed earlier, but that did not stop him being candid in evaluating how some of his side had struggled to adapt to the rigours and idiosyncrasies of English football.
"In the first 15 minutes of the game we had five chances to score, some of them with an open goal, and the first time Fulham attacked, we gave them a goal - this is Chelsea at the moment," he concluded.
"When the game goes to the last 15 minutes and the opponent puts more pressure on us, we cannot cope with that pressure and concede the second goal.
"The way teams play in this country you need very strong central defenders in the air. I think if you play with this defence in another championship, or even (in the) Champions League, it is not a big deal.
"But in this country everybody has tall, strong strikers. They put the ball in the box. We do not dominate the game in the air.
"What can you do with (Michael) Ballack? Nothing. What can you do with Geremi? Nothing. The players have no qualities adapted to the game opponents are playing against us - it is as obvious as that."