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Should Chelsea continue to persist with this controversial Spaniard?
In his two seasons so far at Chelsea, Diego Costa has continually made headlines for various reasons. He’s a controversial figure who perfectly fits the “marmite effect”; you either love him or you hate him. There are certainly two sides to this enigmatic character, but has his darker side started to overpower his footballing qualities? Should Chelsea continue to persist with him?
After Chelsea paid £32 million for Costa in the summer of 2014, they were expecting a decent return in front of goal. Especially after his impressive season previously for Atletico Madrid. Chelsea, however, still had the transfers of Andriy Shevchenko and Fernando Torres in the back of their minds. Two great strikers who were brought into the club for hefty transfer sums, but ultimately the two strikers failed miserably in their time at the club. After their first two years at Stamford Bridge, Shevchenko had scored 22 goals in 76 appearances whilst Torres has 27 goals in 106 appearances. They’re stats which don’t make for impressive reading, so how does Costa’s compare?
36 goals in 73 appearances for Costa in his first two seasons means that Chelsea seem to have spent their money more wisely this time around by investing in Costa. An impressive return for a striker who just 3 years previously was playing on loan for Rayo Vallecano. Perhaps most impressive about Costa is his versatility. If you were to judge a book by its cover, you’d say standing at 6 ft 2 and weighing just shy of 13 stone that ‘El Cholo’ would suit route one styled football. You’d be mistaken.
He scored twice against Everton at Goodison Park during the 2014/15 campaign, both after slick counter-attacking moves. The first goal was created by an inch-perfect Cesc Fabregas through ball, which he slotted under Tim Howard. The second came when John Obi Mikel squared the ball to him. After effortlessly taking it around Howard, he placed it into the bottom corner. His goal against West Ham at Stamford Bridge in the same season was a piece of individual brilliance. He was picked out by Eden Hazard 25 yards out from goal, he then drove towards the Hammers defence before skilfully turning clear of two, and with a left-footed finish, he picked out the bottom corner again. These are just a few different types of goals in the catalogue of Diego Costa.
Besides his goalscoring, for a striker he excels at his defensive duties and helping out teammates. His 11 assists for Chelsea have come in a team where he doesn’t have a strike partner; a small number 9 waiting for him to knock the ball down. The majority of Chelsea’s attacking play comes from the attacking midfield three. Whoever that 3 may be, their game consists of quick passing into feet often resulting in a chance for Costa. Furthermore, he is willing to close down defenders and put them under pressure. As a football fan, you could ask for no more from your player than to show desire and commitment to the cause. However, Costa has a well-known tendency to let this passion cross the line, which is where we see the darker side of his game.
Although he has only surprisingly been sent off once in his Chelsea career, almost every game Costa plays involves one incident (or two). He has a widespread footballing villain trait which shows no signs of coming to a stop. Incidents like the stamp on Emre Can and the lash out on Laurent Koscielny are not only inexcusable but remind us of Costa’s major fault. Despite Gareth Barry publicly saying that Costa didn’t bite him, the footage is still startling to watch. The Premier League has had its fair share of biting scandals in the past, and the majority of people would not be surprised if Costa was capable of adding himself to that unwanted club. It’s an aspect of his game that Mourinho and Hiddink haven’t been able to control in their tenures at the club, but how will Antonio Conte do?
The Italian is well known for connecting well with his players and creating a good squad unity, however, you daren’t get in his bad books. It maybe this combination that can help keep Diego Costa under control once and for all. There are doubts however that Costa will even remain at Chelsea next season, but with all things considered he is definitely worth persisting with. If his time at Chelsea blossoms he will be well on his way to becoming a fan favourite at the Bridge.
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