Five questions facing Chelsea after their Premier League title win

This title win now poses a series of new questions for Antonio Conte's side

Chelsea's players lifted the Premier League trophy after beating Sunderland on Sunday (Getty)

Chelsea have provided so many answers this season.

How would they cope with a first-time Premier League coach at the helm? How damaged were they by Jose Mourinho's failure? Would Eden Hazard bounce back from his gap year? Who thought it was a good idea to spend that much on David Luiz?

They all received emphatic responses, but after lifting the Premier League trophy on Sunday, Chelsea are now met with a new load of questions.

Questions that time will answer, and that are explained below...

Will Antonio Conte's demands be met?

Few could have predicted the Italian would have such an impressive debut season on English soil, even moreso when you consider there were (ultimately unfounded) concerns over Conte's late arrival after the European Championships.

Indeed, just one year into the long-term contract he signed in 2016, Chelsea are looking to reward Conte for his success and tie him down amid interest from Inter Milan.

Conte, now with plenty of leverage, has some demands though and the former Juventus coach wants to be backed in the transfer market to a level that would make his team into Champions League contenders. Similarly, he wants clarification on aspects of his role such as youth development.

Chelsea will bow to his demands eventually, they simply have to.

But it will likely be the concessions they refuse to make which will define how long this thus-far fruitful relationship lasts.

What happens with Diego Costa?

It feels almost certain now that Diego Costa will leave Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian-born forward has been a standout striker, probably the best in the country, since signing from Atletico Madrid but there are reasons he wants to leave and many millions of those come from China.

While the Spanish international recently suggested he could stay in west London, the feeling at Chelsea is that the club and striker will part ways on amicable terms. Perhaps, should the Far East not work for him, a mid-season loan could be a possibility in the future.

But with his current contract situation and performance level, there remains no need for Chelsea to sell Diego Costa. They held firm in January and it has paid off.

With Michy Batshuayi barely featuring this side has been reliant on Costa for goals. Should they not be able to secure a striker (or strikers) who can adequately replace that production then they need to consider whether shipping their star centre-forward out is something they can afford to do.

Can they survive an increased workload?

Detractors will argue that Chelsea's title is down to one thing - the lack of European football.

The complete disintegration that occurred under Jose Mourinho last season meant that Conte came in facing the bare minimum in terms of fixtures, while his title rivals battled on multiple fronts.

Next season they will be back to the Saturday-Wednesday-Sunday-Tuesday grind and it takes its toll. Michy Batshuayi, who rarely had a chance to start this season, could become a key cog in their next title charge if he stays. Either way, there will still be reinforcements needed.

Conte and technical director Michael Emenalo must target a specialist wing-back to take the right flank in a timeshare with converted forward Victor Moses. Central defensive reinforcements will be needed with John Terry leaving. At least one striker is already needed and that is before Diego Costa has made his mind up.

How Chelsea recruit was always going to be important but so many big clubs have found out how difficult it is to bring in quality depth players who can perform at the drop of a hat. It has been the difference between Real Madrid and Barcelona this season and if Chelsea are to get to that sort of level - as Roman Abramovich wishes - then they need at least 22 players capable of winning the Premier League.

Will John Terry's departure hurt the dressing room?

With Frank Lampard and now John Terry gone, Chelsea face the struggle to replace the intangibles that the departing club legends boasted in the Blues changing room.

Around the training ground, walking through the corridors of Stamford Bridge or representing the club elsewhere, John Terry was Mr Chelsea and he was a rallying point for the squad even when he was out of the team.

He is the very culture of Chelsea, encapsulated in human form. There is nobody left behind by his retirement who even comes close to having the connection that Terry has with Chelsea as an institution.

That is fine right now, with everything going well. But when things take a turn for the worse, the absence of that character will be most keenly felt.

Will Chelsea's tactics be found out?

The defence has been easily breached since January (Getty)

Chelsea's switch to 3-4-3 in the second half of an early-season defeat to Arsenal would prove crucial in them winning this Premier League title.

But after their incredible winning streak of the late autumn, as the season wore on, teams gradually worked out the weak points of Conte's preferred shape.

Indeed, many of Chelsea's rivals - especially their London ones, Arsenal and Spurs - have been experimenting with similar systems and the stingy defence that the back three originally bought Chelsea has been more easily breached since January.

Add in those extra fixtures we discussed and there also questions about energy levels, an essential part of the current formation and something that will inevitably suffer with an increased workload.

Conte found the answer to his problems in that defeat at Arsenal and his changes won a title. If he can find another way to react and win trophies when faced with adversity, then he will be heading towards greatness as a Premier League manager.