I don't think Reality is susceptible to perception. I mean a thing either is or it isn't. It doesn't depend on what one thinks it is.
We were easily beaten by the European Champions. playing Ward, McArthur and Ayew against Chelsea or any of the other top six clubs is a waste of time. But what was worrying was how unproven our squad was. Bringing in Olise, Andersen, Guehe, is an injection of potential, nothing more. Where was Tomkins today? For me, still our best defender. Is he injured (again) or about to be sold? Can we dispense with the idea that Kouyate is a Premiership standard centre-back?
I don't think it's inevitable that we'll go down this season, but it certainly won't be easy staying up. I would suggest that the stagnation of the squad over the last two seasons has come home to roost. The most charitable construction I can put on it is that Roy Hodgson's brief, as given to him by the Chairman over the last two seasons, was to keep the team in the Premiership, irrespective of the quality of the football being played, on a shoestring budget. Well. It worked and it didn't. The football was often dire, relegation was avoided, the squad was allowed to ossify. We come to the new season with good intentions, and rebuilding, that might have been phased, to do pretty quickly.

the team v Chelsea was essentially last year's with Guehi the only new name. Next week we will have Gallagher and hopefully Andersen too but clearly we are still short of a couple more new recruits.

No panic yet but as you say a reality check - we were poor for the entire game

You seem to get confused regularly, maybe consider your posts first.