Chelsea's calamitous display against Burnley is stark proof this squad is not ready... Antonio Conte needs to make more signings if he is to retain the title

• e-mail

Saturday's calamitous first half at Stamford Bridge may have been a blessing in disguise for Chelsea.

This squad isn't ready. Nowhere near ready. With all due respect, champions don't go in 3-0 down at half time to clubs like Burnley.

Chelsea and Antonio Conte have got 19 days to sort out this mess. If they don't then how this season ends for Chelsea is anyone's guess.

Chelsea's dismal display against Burnley is proof Antonio Conte needs to make more signings

Sean Dyche's men ran Chelsea ragged as they raced into a 3-0 lead at Stamford Bridge

The fact Conte handed 20-year-old Jeremie Boga — as talented as he is — his senior debut told his own story.

The sending offs — and subsequent suspensions — of Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas have merely served to compound Conte's concerns over his threadbare squad.

Conte has to shuffle his pack first in time for next week's game with Spurs, but he said: 'I'm not worried because we have to trust in our work and today there were three injured players, Pedro, (Eden) Hazard, (Tiemoue) Bakayoko, and one player missing for a ban, (Victor) Moses.

'In the next game I don't know if Pedro is able to recover from his injury, but for sure we'll have two players out for a ban, Cahill and Fabregas. We'll find the right solution.'

This team needs reinforcements, quickly. Their spirited second half comeback doesn't mask the fact.

So where do they start?

Replacing Nemanja Matic would be a start. The N'Golo Kante/Matic axis was vital to Chelsea's title winning campaign.

To heap more misery on Chelsea, Gary Cahill was sent off for a high-booted challenge

As was Cesc Fabregas, and both players are now going to face suspensions because of it

We know what Cesc Fabregas, who partnered Kante on Saturday, brings to the table. Passing, vision and guile.

But sometimes you need less invention and subtleness and more power and ruggedness.

Summer signing Tiemoue Bakayoko could be the answer, but Conte is slowly nursing the former Monaco man back from a knee injury.

Leicester's Danny Drinkwater is high on Conte's list of candidates to replace Matic, whose move to Manchester United is known to have angered the Blues boss.

Conte needs some more ruggedness and power than subtlety in the middle of the park

Tiemoue Bakayoko, nursing an injury, could be the answer but Nemanja Matic was not replaced

Danny Drinkwater is an option while Conte is also interested in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Whether the Foxes would even entertain losing their influential midfielder remains to be seen — but Chelsea seem intent on finding out.

Upgrading both wing back positions remains a necessity for Chelsea going into the closing days of the transfer window.

Moses, who missed Saturday's loss through suspension, came out of nowhere to make the right-sided role his own last season.

But, at the very least, Chelsea require someone to push Moses. Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has already been the subject of a failed £25million bid. Paris Saint Germain's Serge Aurier and Inter Milan's Antonio Candreva are also on the right-sided list.

Juventus's Alex Sandro is Conte's No 1 target for wing back, but Danny Rose could be an option

Virgil van Dijk could also make the switch to Chelsea if Southampton soften their stance

Like Moses, Marcos Alonso surprised many with his excellent displays at left-wing back last season.

But the fact Chelsea are looking for an alternative to Alonso is clear. Juventus's Alex Sandro is Conte's No 1 target for the position, but Chelsea aren't ruling out a late transfer window move for Danny Rose.

Similarly, if Southampton show any inkling of softening their stance on Virgil van Dyke, then expect Chelsea to be at the front of the queue for the centre-back.

In short: there's plenty of work to be done in just under three weeks.

Why that work wasn't done sooner is a question Conte would like answers to.