Diego Costa

[Henrique 9,133]

He has a point...

He is right. Not sure what happened, but I realized this is all he is doing at the moment. Very different from last season. I think people praised him too much for the wrong reasons, and now he thinks being a jerk on the pitch, winning fre-kicks, penalties and picking fights is what turn him into a good player.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,919]

Was not that bad even though clearly lacking sharpness. The way he assisted hazards glorious chance was brilliant movement. Also he got 3 city players booked which under a competent referee might have led to a sending off.

On that same token if our players were not near him at the end of the first half he could have easily seen his walking papers too.

[Kieran. 6,317]

care to explain why?

Maybe Costa offers more all around. But I know Remy would score the same amount of goals as Costa if given the same minutes without all the drama. Depends if you like all the drama. It can be useful at times but recently I've found it detrimental.

[lionsden 4,689]

Maybe Costa offers more all around. But I know Remy would score the same amount of goals as Costa if given the same minutes without all the drama. Depends if you like all the drama. It can be useful at times but recently I've found it detrimental.

That's an odd statement considering Remy is technically superior. Costa's all round play/offering more to the team is the biggest myth going.

[Kieran. 6,317]

That's an odd statement considering Remy is technically superior. Costa's all round play/offering more to the team is the biggest myth going.

Yeah that's true. Probably more scared to upset the masses than actually speak my mind.

[bluephoenix 1,126]

And our search for a consistent striker continues.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

He was really bad yesterday. Mangala owns him the second time he faced him and somehow looks like that 30m guy Man City was paying for. It's not even that Diego was off form as was suggested, last year similar story while Diego stroke 7 goals in 4 games as I remember and he was owned in the same manner as yesterday.

But we know that DC isn't best at football, right ? But our team is set up for him to play too much football and don't utilize his best attributes which is movement. Ok, Diego is partly to blame here, but more responsibility bear players behind him. Fabregas is put out of the game way too easily while Willian is the last man you can count on in looking for through ball. Or maybe the second last, because there's also Ramires. Who has to feed Diego then ? There's just Hazard, yes, that's it. And our striker starts to overcomplicate everything and gets into too much dribbling and try to be player he is certainly not. It's very difficult to find a striker these days, we tried Icardi and Dybala but we failed. No doubt we will come back for Icardi next summer but strikers are premium position while midfielders are retail products, there's plenty of them. We want to utilize Diego Costa while he is constantly owned by Kompany, Mangala, Thiago Silva or everyone that can match his physicality. We have to utilize his best traits and that are movement and instinct but we don't have players to do that. Either we find world striker with elite back to goal play aka Lewandowski or midfielder who can put a mark on these bigger games, who is able to keep the ball under pressure and has some creativity in him. Or we will continue to struggle with Diego Costa when he tries to be diffrent player than he is.

[lito 180]

This game showed the huge difference between Costa and Aguero, we need skillful Striker like "Aguero, Suarez, Lewandowski" who's focus on playing football not fighting with other players.

[supporter 3,088]

To me his behavior is unacceptable. Ok, sometimes it's fun and very competitive. But Diego has believed his own character of "bad guy" and he is only thinking about fight against the defenses by absurd issues and protest against the referees.

It's sad, because when Diego is with his mind focused on football he is one of the best forward in the world (maybe the best). But his behavior and the damn hamstring are destroying him.

His behavior was controversial, at times, in La Liga. But in Premier League he can not behave in that way or Diego may be expelled many times. Which puts us in trouble on every play.

Diego has to forget the role of "bad guy" and have a behavior like in the first three months of last season. Aggressive and competitive (which is perfect) but with his mind focused on football and forgetting the unnecessary fights ...

Regards.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

This game showed the huge difference between Costa and Aguero, we need skillful Striker like "Aguero, Suarez, Lewandowski" who's focus on playing football not fighting with other players.

no the game showed one striker playing against a well organised defence and another play against a very shaky defence.

[DH1988 1,273]

We arn't playing like we did at the start of last season hence he struggles, its not rocket science.. we are playing into feet, back to goal, his first touch is awful, we always knew that, he's best given space to run into. I honestly think Falcao would have been a better choice at half time.

[The Skipper 20,593]

We arn't playing like we did at the start of last season hence he struggles, its not rocket science.. we are playing into feet, back to goal, his first touch is awful, we always knew that, he's best given space to run into. I honestly think Falcao would have been a better choice at half time.

What exactly did Falcao do when he came on?

[Last Sicarius 610]

What exactly did Falcao do when he came on?

He tried to shoot outside a box. In our two last match he only try it(dat goal from William was suprise.

I think Diego need some rest on bench. Mayby with 2-3 game pause he will focus on goal.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,919]

You know I'm tired of seeing ignorant posts of "he only played 2 games". That is completely false.

Costa hasn't scored in open play since Hull back in March 22nd. In all competitions including preseason. That's over 10 games without an open play goal.

Or 1 penalty goal in 10+ games whatever way you look at it.

For a top striker this is extremely worrying.

I know he has been injured, and I would be okay if he can go through this whole season not getting injured because he'll get better, but because he didn't get the surgery his hammy is going to pull again eventually. And he'll not get back to his best.

He scored 5 goals in Kuwait.

[Tomo 21,733]

You know I'm tired of seeing ignorant posts of "he only played 2 games". That is completely false.

Costa hasn't scored in open play since Hull back in March 22nd. In all competitions including preseason. That's over 10 games without an open play goal.

Or 1 penalty goal in 10+ games whatever way you look at it.

For a top striker this is extremely worrying.

I know he has been injured, and I would be okay if he can go through this whole season not getting injured because he'll get better, but because he didn't get the surgery his hammy is going to pull again eventually. And he'll not get back to his best.

Since the Hull game he has played 5 competitive games, one of which was 5 minutes against Stoke before he done his hammy, and 3 pre season games, not really crisis mode every top striker has droughts.

[Tautvix 1,321]

Wrong occupation, Diego. You should be a boxer or something...

[Tomo 21,733]

That's an odd statement considering Remy is technically superior. Costa's all round play/offering more to the team is the biggest myth going.

Even If he was technically superior, that doesn't necceserily mean he offers more all round, if technical ability was the be all and end all Chelsea and England would be built around McEachran.

Remy's decision making is well to erratic, you saw how Costas quick thinking got Hazard in on goal yesterday, Remy had an equally golden opportunity to put Hazard in on goal at Wembley but cocked it up.

Costas movement and decision making was just as big (if not more) a reason as to why our struggles vs the lesser teams stopped last season, Atletico don't create half as many chances since he left and neither do we when he's not fit, it's not a coincidence.

[Tomo 21,733]

Eh, fair enough. However the number of games he has played without scoring is growing with no signs of him breaking it.

No more bully mode for Costa and get back to do what he does best and that is scoring!

Costa is miles behind Aguero is unreal and yesterday it was so obvious.

Didn't he hit the post yesterday? And he looked threatening vs Swansea? Maybe my standards have gone down after the Shiite Remy and Falcao served up at Wembley but I see no real cause for concern just yet.