Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho admits his club's lack of transfer activity is "dangerous", but he hopes stability will help them succeed.
Radamel Falcao, on loan, and Asmir Begovic are the only main signings, while the likes of Petr Cech and Didier Drogba have left the Premier League champions.
All of Chelsea's main rivals have added more or bigger names ahead of the season proper starting on Saturday.
Mourinho believes stability may also make his team better this season, as they prepare to face Swansea City.
"It's dangerous," the Portuguese tactician said.
"I think that saying, is right, the saying that: 'If you stand still, you get worse'. It's right, but the same people can move forward.
"You don’t need to buy 10 players to be a better team. You can be a better team with one or two new players and be a better team, with the same people."
Mourinho, who has signed a four-year contract with the club, hopes his players reward him for loyalty.
"The biggest advantage I hope is for the players to think: 'My club and my manager trust me so much. They were so loyal to me and they want to show me they have a good memory and they don't forget what I did last year. They don't spend loads of money, they don't sell me, they don't kick me out, they want to keep me, they believe in me, so now it's my time, it's our time to give it back. To give my manager and my club a proper answer,'" he said.
"That's most important, the second thing, the team has some routine, some tactical mechanisms and is based on stability, it's not based on a quick improvement like bringing a lot of new players can help to do. It's based on stability."
