Diego Costa

[Strike 6,958]

Even without the goals, he's a bull upfront.

[Hybrid Angel 2,130]

From yesterday match, what I'm really realized, is that I thought Costa not a 'deadlock breaker' striker. He is more like 'needs to be served' striker. What I mean is that he is struggled to solely create chances to score, he is no Messi or Ronaldo. But if you give him the ball on the right time, he surely would finish it without problem. He is more like a clinical finisher. If we want to see him perform, he needs other players to perform as well. That's why we always see Fabregas or Hazard shone when Costa scored.

But it is exactly what we needs, so I don't see any problem with it.

Exactly on point. With no disrespect to Costa, he is not a game changer. He never looked to be our savior against Newcastle. Drogba for example, is a better player than Costa in these situations. When you need something from the game, you can always rely on him.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Exactly on point. With no disrespect to Costa, he is not a game changer. He never looked to be our savior against Newcastle. Drogba for example, is a better player than Costa in these situations. When you need something from the game, you can always rely on him.

Nah he was key player for us in first two months with his goals. I remember he was the one who scored leading goal or equalizer in those matches.

Now he is probably going through some difficulties that always happen with new players and once he plays full season and completely settles in, I think he will be more decisive for us in upcoming years. His play has also changed bit, he tries everything on his own, while in first games he played more with team and they looked for him more too. He didnt score recently and tried too hard, but once things get down, he will be key again with Hazard and co. Maybe not like Drogs was, but honestly how many strikers are like him? He was like the perfect striker, scored when needed in many finals and key games etc.

Costa has incredible desire to score and if he picks the right path, we should be good.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

Hazard finally saw the Costa run while he was dribbling.

Costa makes a lot of runs in behind the defenders. For the past 3 games he has been given the ball while standing which will make him dribble and he is no Suarez. If our midfielders can stop ignoring him when he makes the run, and pass more to our most clinical player in the box our goals will increase again.

[Jase 43,479]

Good to see Costa finally score again yesterday as it will serve as a confidence boost for him.

On another note, he came back from suspension last weekend and he's picked up two bookings in two games. Get 3 more yellow cards and he'll have to sit out for two matches.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Good to see Costa finally score again yesterday as it will serve as a confidence boost for him.

On another note, he came back from suspension last weekend and he's picked up two bookings in two games. Get 3 more yellow cards and he'll have to sit out for two matches.

It's because he is an absolute fucker I'm amazed he hasn't already been sent off. I think that's exactly why we have two class replacements in Loic and The King, just in case he headbutts a referee.

[The Skipper 20,593]

From yesterday match, what I'm really realized, is that I thought Costa not a 'deadlock breaker' striker. He is more like 'needs to be served' striker. What I mean is that he is struggled to solely create chances to score, he is no Messi or Ronaldo. But if you give him the ball on the right time, he surely would finish it without problem. He is more like a clinical finisher. If we want to see him perform, he needs other players to perform as well. That's why we always see Fabregas or Hazard shone when Costa scored.

But it is exactly what we needs, so I don't see any problem with it.

If you were watching his performances earlier in the season you would completely know that you're being false.

Everton game is the perfect example. If it wasn't for Diego we wouldn't have won that game, simple. He was excellent. Diego in top form is a difference maker, easily. You're just mentioning this because he's been off it for the last few games.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

If you were watching his performances earlier in the season you would completely know that you're being false.

Everton game is the perfect example. If it wasn't for Diego we wouldn't have won that game, simple. He was excellent. Diego in top form is a difference maker, easily. You're just mentioning this because he's been off it for the last few games.

Yes, he scores some important goals in the earlier games of the season, but from the process he scores most of it, it is couple of rebounds balls and perfect passes (Fabregas being the important part). He is not a type of striker who will dribbling passed one or two defender and score the goal when teams are under perform and struggling, especially against big teams. He needs someone to 'serves' him the perfect pass, and he will finish it.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

If you were watching his performances earlier in the season you would completely know that you're being false.

Everton game is the perfect example. If it wasn't for Diego we wouldn't have won that game, simple. He was excellent. Diego in top form is a difference maker, easily. You're just mentioning this because he's been off it for the last few games.

Costa style is making a lot of runs and fabregas is the only one who understands that. So earlier in the season we saw a lot of Fabregas to costa goals, but now teams have figured that they have to shut out fabregas and the rest of our midfielders can't spot costa making a run and send an accurate through pass to him. So only crosses have been delivered to costa when he's not good in the air.

When Hazard gave that pass for the goal it was a relief to see a throughball through the middle to costa that wasn't fabregas.

I'll rather we pass to a running costa than the current increase of passing to him standing.

[Barbara 15,149]

We all knew his strengths and weaknesses when we signed him and still he surprised me and I surrendered he was much better than I expected.

I think it's a bit harsh to say he's simply a poacher. He fires up the team, he presents himself all the time, normally poachers - ofc there are exceptions - are all happy to be planted in the box and wait the team to feed them.

The fight he has, the leadership, the way he gives his everything, all those things are important and we've missed them last season. I still can't believe how much he's been downgraded around here the last couple of weeks.

We all know he isn't technically brilliant - far from it - but he will still try. The reason why we've seen so much of his limitations recently is because he's so eager to help the team that once he realized he hasn't been properly fed by our AMs, he left the box and tried to help. He doesn't have too many tools outside the box, but he's still there, biting, trying, fighting. How many clear chances he's missed in those four games he didn't score? How many times he received good balls inside the box and showed lack of confidence, quality or precision? I remember one, but maybe there had been a few more. The thing is, we stopped feeding him as well as we did earlier in the season, as a team we've dropped a few notches in our quality, but we're still scrapping wins. Yeah, we lost against Newcastle and drew against Sunderland, but we've been playing subpar to our own level for weeks now. Newcastle will always be a difficult side to play away and it seems like we've developed a Sunderland complex.

I'm not defending him blindly, he has many technical limitations, but he isn't simply a poacher and he definitely isn't as inept as some of you are making him out to be. You sound especially fickle when you were all licking his ass for months and now are badmouthing him.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Yes, he scores some important goals in the earlier games of the season, but from the process he scores most of it, it is couple of rebounds balls and perfect passes (Fabregas being the important part). He is not a type of striker who will dribbling passed one or two defender and score the goal when teams are under perform and struggling, especially against big teams. He needs someone to 'serves' him the perfect pass, and he will finish it.

Dribbling past defenders isn't the only way a striker can make a difference... And no, Costa doesn't need the perfect pass to score either.

Costa has already scored plenty of times when the team has needed someone to grab a goal, I really don't know what you're trying to get at.

[The Skipper 20,593]

And also to follow up on Barbara's post - we all know Costa isn't Messi like technically but that doesn't mean his technique is bad. As I've said before, his style is very unorthodox. Yeah, he can have a bad few moments when it comes to linking up play but he can also be excellent at it. The game yesterday is the perfect example. His hold up play was trash in the first half but he really turned it around in the second and made some great lay offs and passes.

His technique is quite reliant on how confident he feels. He's a clever footballer.

[Barbara 15,149]

And also to follow up on Barbara's post - we all know Costa isn't Messi like technically but that doesn't mean his technique is bad. As I've said before, his style is very unorthodox. Yeah, he can have a bad few moments when it comes to linking up play but he can also be excellent at it. The game yesterday is the perfest example. His hold up play was trash in the first half but he really turned it around in the second and made some great lay offs and passes.

His technique is quite reliant on how confident he feels. He's a clever footballer.

That's something he's not given enough credit for. He's very clever. He reads things well, but when you don't have sky rocket confidence and you try the kind of play that isn't your best - although you can execute it 5-6 times out of 10, chances are you'll fail.

How many times have we've seen he pass by opponents outside the box? How many times have we've seen him linking up with other players outside the box? We haven't been feeding him as we did earlier the season and he was going through a blip of confidence. Seriously, what are four matches? Especially because he wasn't missing chance after chance. He struggled a bit and then the frustration started to show, but he worked it around. If anything we should be applauding him instead of judging him.

I can never fault a player that will leave his comfort zone - whether it's running or receiving the ball inside the box - to help the team, to make things happen, to take matters into his hands when we struggle to create. He's awkward when trying to hold up, to link up or even dribble passed opponents. You look at him and you don't understand what he's doing something - unorthodox as you say - but earlier the season he would make it work 5 out of 10 attempts - at least. And for someone that isn't that kind of player, I think it's B for result and A for effort. I can't fault or complain about Costa, not even in this attempt of a drought - because seriously, four matches isn't a drought at all.

[Madmax 9,219]

If you were watching his performances earlier in the season you would completely know that you're being false.

Everton game is the perfect example. If it wasn't for Diego we wouldn't have won that game, simple. He was excellent. Diego in top form is a difference maker, easily. You're just mentioning this because he's been off it for the last few games.

It's no surprise though, this forum is incredibly reactionary. Now Costa's just a poacher, during his 'drought' he was just someone who looks to pick fights with CBs, eariler in the season he was Drogba, Greaves and Osgood rolled into one, etc.

[Barbara 15,149]

Also another thing people don't know or forget. Costa started playing football at very late age (16). That's when he STARTED, like the first time he's ever been to a football training session of any sorts, when he went to a football academy. Kids start way earlier and they learn a lot of things about the sport from being there longer. At this age Costa was punching people around because he had no idea what meant to be a team. I know it seems like a crazy notion that he didn't even know how to behave, but we don't know about his upbringing. He was very, very raw when he started and that wasn't even technically. Normally players aren't technical at that age, but they've already learned a lot of things.

What I meant with all this is that despite being 26 he isn't at his peak yet. He still has some ceiling and I have no doubts he will improve. He started late, so of course he'll peak later. While other players have been playing football for most of their lives, starting in academies at age 10, 11 - if nor earlier - Costa has been playing football for only 10 years. I think when he's 28 we'll see his best football, and I believe he'll improve a lot in those two years and will polish considerably his technique.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

His hold up play is exceptional but he's yet to link up with any player on this team. Our two best players, Cesc and especially Hazard thrive on 1 touch football so that's something he has to improve on.

I've seen Drogba in his short amount of gametime link up with Hazard far more than Costa has.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Equaliser against Burnley, hat trick against Swansea, game killing goal against Arsenal...etc he is not just a add on goal scorer, he score crucial goals as well. Off the top of my head last year he scored the winner against Real Madrid at Bernabeu, 80+ mins winner against Milan in the CL 1st leg last 16, countless other goals when Atletico struggled to 1-0 wins, equaliser against Real Madrid in Mourinho's last game in charge.

He is not a luxurious striker, he can be a game changer too.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Dribbling past defenders isn't the only way a striker can make a difference... And no, Costa doesn't need the perfect pass to score either.

Costa has already scored plenty of times when the team has needed someone to grab a goal, I really don't know what you're trying to get at.

Well I am trying to talk about what type of striker Costa is, as I said until now, I am not seeing him as a striker, who could create chances and score out of nothing single handedly, especially when team are struggling.

And maybe you don't pay attention at the last part of my post earlier, I really wrote actually he is the type of striker we need in our team, so I don't have any problem with it.