5 immediate problems Chelsea must resolve if they are to be successful

One look at Chelsea's current position and one wouldn't think there is anything wrong at the club. Outspent in the transfer market by the two Manchester clubs, the defending Premier League champions are currently third, they are still alive in the FA Cup, and have a Champions League Round of 16 tie against Barcelona coming up.

However, it is a club that looks like it is being pushed towards the edge. There are a number of problems at the club both on and off the pitch that need to be addressed if they are to become a successful side again.

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#1 Antonio Conte's future at Chelsea in doubt

Arguably the biggest problem of the lot for Chelsea is whether Antonio Conte will be the Blues manager next season. The Italian boss was rewarded with a £19.2m contract after winning the Premier League title in his debut season but he had refused to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.

The contract only improved his wages. It did not extend his tenure beyond 2019. However, the jury is still out on whether he will last that long if they cannot compete for trophies.

It has has been the case ever since club owner Roman Abramovich installed a revolving door for managers at the club. Trophies beget more time, failure begets sacrifice.

After exiting the League Cup semi-finals to Arsenal - a team they have failed to beat in numerous outings in the past year - Conte bemoaned the squad he has at his disposal.

There are problems behind the scenes with respect to the players he has shortlisted in the transfer market and the ones the club actually ends up signing.

If things don't go his way, he may quit himself - just like he did at Juventus by "mutual consent" despite the success he achieved with the club.

#2 Resolving the futures of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois

Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are yet to renew their contracts at Chelsea

There is no question that Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are now the two most crucial players in the Chelsea squad. However, the Blues could lose them both if they do not tread carefully.

Hazard had joined Chelsea as a youngster when they had just won the Champions League. But since then, the Blues have never really mounted a challenge in Europe - especially after the old guard had departed. One semi-final appearance is the best they have accomplished since then.

Courtois' contract ends in 2019 so extending his contract is far more important at the moment. Meanwhile, Hazard's contract runs till 2020 but since he is in no hurry to extend, it is clear he is flirting with the idea of leaving the club.

Real Madrid have been constantly linked with the Belgian forward and now aged 27, he is entering what is effectively the prime of his career. If they don't go for Neymar, Hazard will be their next option to replace Cristiano Ronaldo on the flank.

Both players have also joked that they will sign a contract extension if the other does but that may be the players simply playing with the media. But unless their futures are secured, the club will not be able to make a statement of intent.

#3 Finding the right formation

Players such as Victor Moses, Willian, and Pedro have not started as many games as other players

Last season saw Antonio Conte introduce the back-three when he realised the back-four simply wasn't working in the Premier League. It saw the Blues go on a then record-equaling run that saw them rocket up to the top of the table - a spot they never relinquished for the rest of the season.

The 3-4-3 laid the foundation for Conte's debut season win but it also became a template that many other managers adopted to counter that style of play. Conte was lucky that by the time the other managers discovered how to negate it, the Blues had effectively wrapped up the title.

But it didn't help in the FA Cup final when Arsenal beat them by playing Chelsea at their own game. Conte has since tried to play a 3-5-1-1 instead with Eden Hazard supporting Alvaro Morata but that has seen mixed results (4 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in the league).

Their fluidity returned when he switched back to a 3-4-3 but a run of goalless draws had seen the Blues' momentum take a big hit - one they are yet to truly recover from.

It is up to Conte again to find the right formation - and one suspects he might succeed if he does get a world class physical no.9 up front with Morata struggling in front of goal despite a strong start to the season.

#4 Chelsea are yet to find a capable replacement for Nemanja Matic

Tiemoue Bakayoko has struggled for form at Chelsea

“Bakayoko is a good signing for us. He is very young. My idea was to give Bakayoko the right time to adapt in this league behind Matic. But now after the sale of Matic, we need to try to accelerate this process for Bakayoko after his injury.” - Conte in August 2017

It is safe to say that things did not go according to plan for the Chelsea manager. Tiemoue Bakayoko is a good signing but he is yet to come to terms with what Conte expects from him.

One of the reasons why Chelsea were successful was Nemanja Matic's presence in midfield. He wasn't just restricted to a defensive midfield role. His ability to hold on to the ball in possession and pick the right pass is what added value to the Blues' midfield.

Unfortunately, Bakayoko does not have the same positional intelligence and passing range of the big Serbian. Conte tried to rectify it by playing Danny Drinkwater alongside N'Golo Kante and then by playing three midfielders with Cesc Fabregas in a deep role.

Adding one midfielder to the mix meant sacrificing a wide player - which is why the likes of Willian and Pedro do not start many games. It made Chelsea a bit more predictable with the creative burden in the final third falling on Eden Hazard's shoulders.

#5 Changes required behind the scenes

Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo left the club last summer

One of the low-profile departures at Chelsea was their technical director Michael Emenalo who was responsible for building the club's robust scouting network and also looking after the academy.

He and Conte had worked together to build the squad for the title-winning season but the failure to lure both Ross Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain last summer had been one of the reasons why he was let go.

However, there was also trouble brewing between him and Roman Abramovich's right-hand woman Marina Granovskaia - Chelsea's club director. Once he got an offer from AS Monaco, he was off and the Blues' transfer strategy has been questioned ever since.

“I do not aim high with my requests, especially as in my history I’ve rarely been given the players I asked for. I always ended up at clubs who were running an austerity program." - Conte

With the club targeting mediocre strikers such as Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch, and Ashley Barnes and the club failing in their pursuit of Edin Dzeko so far, it is clear that the club can no longer attract big names like they used to.

Abramovich has also been reluctant to loosen his purse strings as the club look to move towards a self-sustainable model. So unless they get the right person to identify talent and also bring them to the club, Chelsea are in danger of losing out on world class players in the future.