Diego Costa

[Pacquiao 1,834]

i have watched him for 1 season and 6 games, and his technical limitations are shocking.

can he even fight for a long ball? nope. how many aerial duels does his win- 1/100

how many turnovers did he have yesteday cos of a poor pass in close quarters or a poor touch or trying to dribble past a defender only for him to get owned every time. all pointing to a shambolic link up play.

i do agree with the last point though, shame some people dont watch him enough. if they did, they would know how limited he is. i mean look at costa for spain. always poor in a team full on technical players cos he is levels below them.

so you haven't watched him for very long then, just as I thought. I already know you are a fickle fan, you only rate players highly when they are in form, so I take your opinion with a pinch of salt.

I have seen enough of Costa to see that he is very good on the ball, and links play well, right now he isn't in top form like most of our players, I am not fickle enough to use yesterdays game as the basis of my argument like yourself, as for playing with Spain, have you even watched him for Spain? he drops off all the time with them and links play very well, they give Costa the ball a lot when he drops off with his back to goal because they trust him, they know he has a good touch and can pass the ball, very different from when Torres played for Spain because they never passed to him when he wanted the ball with his back to goal.

[didierforever 7,349]

so you haven't watched him for very long then, just as I thought. I already know you are a fickle fan, you only rate players highly when they are in form, so I take your opinion with a pinch of salt.

I have seen enough of Costa to see that he is very good on the ball, and links play well, right now he isn't in top form like most of our players, I am not fickle enough to use yesterdays game as the basis of my argument like yourself, as for playing with Spain, have you even watched him for Spain? he drops off all the time with them and links play very well, they give Costa the ball a lot when he drops off with his back to goal because they trust him, they know he has a good touch and can pass the ball, very different from when Torres played for Spain because they never passed to him when he wanted the ball with his back to goal.

hmmm. awesome. so if people say the truth, they are fickle now unlike people like you. by the way, as for "fickle" find the 04 vs 14 thread, and see what i wrote about costa. "fickle" indeed.

anyways, i atleast can call a spade a spade unlike some other people who have this obsessive need of "defending" our players while looking through blue tinted glasses?

i used yesterday's game as an example cause its fresh in my mind. i can literally pick up any game in this calender year and it has the same story written in it.

i have watched costa play for spain plenty of times. he drops deep and passes it backwards. but if you actually read what i wrote i talked about costa in close quarters. which is where the difference a striker makes. his link up play with his back to the goal and a defender on him is shambolic. obviously he ll get more time when he drops deep cos he is not an instantaneos threat. it is when he has the ball to his feet, being the main threat, that his link up play is atrocious. and that is where you need your striker to hold up (not fall down like costa and cry for a foul) or make some good exchanges in and around the last 3rd which makes the difference when we talk about the scoreline. hardly something that costa does or even can do.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

hmmm. awesome. so if people say the truth, they are fickle now unlike people like you. by the way, as for "fickle" find the 04 vs 14 thread, and see what i wrote about costa. "fickle" indeed.

anyways, i atleast can call a spade a spade unlike some other people who have this obsessive need of "defending" our players while looking through blue tinted glasses?

i used yesterday's game as an example cause its fresh in my mind. i can literally pick up any game in this calender year and it has the same story written in it.

i have watched costa play for spain plenty of times. hardly surprising he finds himself getting subbed off at halftime for alcacer. he drops deep and passes it backwards. but if you actually read what i wrote i talked about costa in close quarters. which is where the difference a striker makes. his link up play with his back to the goal and a defender on him is shambolic. obviously he ll get more time when he drops deep cos he is not an instantaneos threat. it is when he has the ball to his feet, being the main threat, that his link up play is atrocious. and that is where you need your striker to hold up (not fall down like costa and cry for a foul) or make some good exchanges in and around the last 3rd which makes the difference when we talk about the scoreline. hardly something that costa does or even can do.

If Costa is as bad as you make him out to be what he has achieved in the last 3 seasons is absolutely mind blowing then! a player who apparently can't pass, can't hold up the ball, can't dribble, has a bad touch, always falls over, and yet virtually every striker on the planet other then maybe Suarez would dream of achieving what Costa has in the last 3 seasons.

for a player so apparently limited he isn't doing to bad for himself. I wish more of our players were as limited as Costa, maybe they would have done as well as he has over the last 3 seasons.

[didierforever 7,349]

If Costa is as bad as you make him out to be what he has achieved in the last 3 seasons is absolutely mind blowing then! a player who apparently can't pass, can't hold up the ball, can't dribble, has a bad touch, always falls over, and yet virtually every striker on the planet other then maybe Suarez would dream of achieving what Costa has in the last 3 seasons.

for a player so apparently limited he isn't doing to bad for himself. I wish more of our players were as limited as Costa, maybe they would have done as well as he has over the last 3 seasons.

fair enough.

GC has won an FA cup, a CL, a europa, a PL, a carling cup since he joined us 3 and a half years ago (i think).

so that means he is not limited? he does not have flaws? he is the best defender on the planet?

u see, why i would have a problem with the srgument u just gave?

[Pacquiao 1,834]

fair enough.

GC has won an FA cup, a CL, a europa, a PL, a carling cup since he joined us 3 and a half years ago (i think).

so that means he is not limited? he does not have flaws? he is the best defender on the planet?

u see, why i would have a problem with the srgument u just gave?

what has Gary Cahill winning trophies with Chelsea got to do with anything? that has no relevance to how well the 'limited' Diego Costa has performed in the last 3 seasons.

[didierforever 7,349]

what has Gary Cahill winning trophies with Chelsea got to do with anything? that has no relevance to how well the 'limited' Diego Costa has performed in the last 3 seasons.

your argument is that costa has won and acheived a lot in the last 3 seasons in football. meaning that somehow makes his so apparent technical limitations forgivable orthe fact that people calling him limited as hogwash, right?

well, so has GC. he has won literally everything in his 3 and a half years at chelsea. he is a good defender. but has his limitations too. get the analogy?

[Pacquiao 1,834]

your argument is that costa has won and acheived a lot in the last 3 seasons in football. meaning that somehow makes his so apparent technical limitations forgivable orthe fact that people calling him limited as hogwash, right?

well, so has GC. he has won literally everything in his 3 and a half years at chelsea. he is a good defender. but has his limitations too. get the analogy?

No I am not talking about just what trophies he won, but how key he was to his teams success. Like in 2012/13 he didn't even play as a striker, he played on the wing or behind Falcao, he still scored 20 goals and got 8 assists that season, guiding Atletico to the Copa Del Rey, scoring in every round including the final against Real Madrid. And then in 2013/14 scoring 36 goals, with 27 coming in La Liga (1 less then Messi) en route to winning the La Liga title, an incredible achievement for them, as well as getting to the CL final where Costa scored 8 goals and probably would have won it had he been fully fit for the final, then he moves to a new league settles immediately, scores for fun en route to the PL title, as well as scoring at Wembley in the League Cup final.

Not bad for such an awful/limited striker.

So how on earth you are comparing a player who has done all that to Cahill because he was simply part of a successful team is bizarre really.

[didierforever 7,349]

No I am not talking about just what trophies he won, but how key he was to his teams success. Like in 2012/13 he didn't even play as a striker, he played on the wing or behind Falcao, he still scored 20 goals and got 8 assists that season, guiding Atletico to the Copa Del Rey, scoring in every round including the final against Real Madrid. And then in 2013/14 scoring 36 goals, with 27 coming in La Liga (1 less then Messi) en route to winning the La Liga title, an incredible achievement for them, as well as getting to the CL final where Costa scored 8 goals and probably would have won it had he been fully fit for the final, then he moves to a new league settles immediately, scores for fun en route to the PL title, as well as scoring at Wembley in the League Cup final.

Not bad for such an awful/limited striker.

So how on earth you are comparing a player who has done all that to Cahill because he was simply part of a successful team is bizarre really.

so when do the number of goals a player scores becomes an indicator of his technical ability.

chicharito scored 20 goals and 5 assists in 10/11 for united in 2609 minutes (CL finalist, PL winner)

he scored 18 goals and had 8 assists in 12/13 and united won the PL.

that makes him technically proficient?

just like last season, costa scored goals, and thank you to him for that. he was a major part in our PL win. but like i said before, lets call a spade a spade. when not scoring goals, he can be useless. he simply is not able to add much to the team if he is not on the score sheet.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

so when do the number of goals a player scores becomes an indicator of his technical ability.

chicharito scored 20 goals and 5 assists in 10/11 for united in 2609 minutes (CL finalist, PL winner)

he scored 18 goals and had 8 assists in 12/13 and united won the PL.

that makes him technically proficient?

just like last season, costa scored goals, and thank you to him for that. he was a major part in our PL win. but like i said before, lets call a spade a spade. when not scoring goals, he can be useless. he simply is not able to add much to the team if he is not on the score sheet.

awful comparison, Hernández is a goal poacher, he is a different type of player to Costa, and you just ignore the fact that Costa didn't even play as a striker in 2012/13, and Costa still outscored the goal poacher Hernández, that season. Now that speaks volumes.

Also last season Costa completed more passes then Suarez and Lewandowski, he made more key passes then Aguero, Benzema and Lewandowski and created more chances then Aguero and Lewandowski all while playing less games.

But yeah Costa's link up play is non existent right?

[Last Sicarius 610]

Costa now looks like man who came from WWE and someone told him that now he must kick the ball into the goal xd

[didierforever 7,349]

awful comparison, Hernández is a goal poacher, he is a different type of player to Costa, and you just ignore the fact that Costa didn't even play as a striker in 2012/13, and Costa still outscored the goal poacher Hernández, that season. Now that speaks volumes.

Also last season Costa completed more passes then Suarez and Lewandowski, he made more key passes then Aguero, Benzema and Lewandowski and created more chances then Aguero and Lewandowski all while playing less games.

But yeah Costa's link up play is non existent right?

hmmm.. lets see

costa's pass% - 75% CL, 78% PL

aguero's pass% - 82% CL, 86% PL

if you are using stats, atleast use them objectively instead of highligthing your argument.

number of passes mean jacksquat. we had more number of passes. yet we got owned last night. i am sure costa would have had a lot of "completed passes" last night. so thats a good thing?

if costa is not a poacher and needs to be compared with proper strikers like benzema, aguero, suarez, hell even giroud when we talk about link up play. he is levels below them.

also, 24 year old playing as a winger in definitely a weaker league is comparable to a 22 year old scoring 20 goals in his first season in PL? that does speak volumes.

[Tomo 21,751]

Look Costa simply isn't WC by any stretch of the imagination. I couldn't care less about his goal record, Mario Gomez also had an insane record a few years ago as did Huntelaar.

You say he didn't get any chances but I remember Hazard & Ivanovic putting him through in each half & him making a complete mess out of it. Unless he's spoonfed he usually doesn't score. World Class strikers can create their own chances for themselves & others. Costa can't. He gets regularly bossed by defenders that can match his overrated physicality as well. None of that aggro nonsense works in England.

Would Barca, Bayern or Madrid sign a footballer like Diego Costa? We all know the answer.

This is a World Class striker. Zero goals yet still put in an elite performance.

It's funny you mention Drogba, as it took him 6 years and a leading us to a double to win over a fair chunk of the supporters.

After Moscow in 2008 very few were that bothered if he stayed or went, similar in 2009 to a lesser extent, in fact a bit like some with Costa now they wanted a more "flashier" or "likeable" striker.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

It's funny you mention Drogba, as it took him 6 years and a leading us to a double to win over a fair chunk of the supporters.

After Moscow in 2008 very few were that bothered if he stayed or went, similar in 2009 to a lesser extent, in fact a bit like some with Costa now they wanted a more "flashier" or "likeable" striker.

People on here have such short memories

[The Skipper 20,609]

hmmm.. lets see

costa's pass% - 75% CL, 78% PL

aguero's pass% - 82% CL, 86% PL

if you are using stats, atleast use them objectively instead of highligthing your argument.

number of passes mean jacksquat. we had more number of passes. yet we got owned last night. i am sure costa would have had a lot of "completed passes" last night. so thats a good thing?

if costa is not a poacher and needs to be compared with proper strikers like benzema, aguero, suarez, hell even giroud when we talk about link up play. he is levels below them.

also, 24 year old playing as a winger in definitely a weaker league is comparable to a 22 year old scoring 20 goals in his first season in PL? that does speak volumes.

He scored 20 in 26. That's an outstanding ratio whether you like it or not. 36 goals the season before that, arguably the most important player in his team - fired his team to the title and to the CL final. Before that, played out wide and scored 20. 5 games into the season and apparently Lukaku is a better striker than him.

I'm taking everything you say about Costa with a pinch of salt anyway, since you think Lukaku is a better player than him.

[didierforever 7,349]

He scored 20 in 26. That's an outstanding ratio whether you like it or not. 36 goals the season before that, arguably the most important player in his team - fired his team to the title and to the CL final. Before that, played out wide and scored 20. 5 games into the season and apparently Lukaku is a better striker than him.

I'm taking everything you say about Costa with a pinch of salt anyway, since you think Lukaku is a better player than him.

no he was not. i remember villa getting injured midway at a point in the season and ATM struggled a lot. costa's injury barely affected them. they even eliminated barca without costa.

again, no one is denying he is a goal scorer. but saying he is on level with aguero and lewa is being delusional.

nowhere near that.

as for his all round game, u can take it with a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar, but it is hardly any better than lukaku. and its not just 5 games. its been a the whole 2015.