Gary Neville criticised Chelsea’s ‘all over the place’ defence in their 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
Chelsea made a thrilling start to the away encounter, with Morgan Rogers opening the scoring inside the second minute.
But the Gunners levelled in the 25th minute, with Kai Havertz drilling a low shot beyond goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Martin Odegaard added another early in the second half, and Arsenal went on to seal an excellent 2-1 success.
Chelsea have now shipped in seven goals in their opening three games this season.
Neville suggested the Blues may need to bring in more quality defenders to reach a new level under manager Xabi Alonso.
He told the Gary Neville Podcast: “The back three, when I watch them, it’s almost like their legs aren’t connected to their hips and the hips aren’t connected to their bodies. It’s almost like they’re a bit all over the place.
“Maybe Chelsea will need to actually recruit more players as they move on through the next year or two with Xabi Alonso.”
Chelsea were tipped to challenge Arsenal for the Premier League title following a promising start to the new season.
They beat Fulham 3-2 at Craven Cottage before edging Brighton & Hove Albion in a seven-goal thriller in front of their home supporters.
When Rogers put them ahead with a stylish volley on Sunday, a big victory against title favourites Arsenal looked on the cards.
But the Gunners started exposing Chelsea’s defensive vulnerabilities soon. Havertz and then Odegaard beat Martinez in goal to help their side maintain a perfect start to the campaign.
Despite William Saliba’s absence through injury, Arsenal largely held the Blues’ attack in check.
Sunday’s defeat shows that Alonso’s men are not ready to challenge for the title just yet.