Diego Costa

[The Skipper 20,593]

Costa's all round game is lacking and that much is obvious to everyone. The sheer frequency at which attacking momentum breaks down at his feet is staggering. I have seen average strikers with significantly better hold up and link up play. At this level, its unacceptable not to have the confidence in your striker's ability to bring others into play.

When he scores snd we win, his flaws can be overlooked but when he doesn't, he has no reedeming features to fall back on and you need more than goals from your srriker at this level. Very frustrating player to watch

Watch the West Ham game and tell me his link up and hold up play wasn't great in that game.

[Pizy 18,368]

No other poster I so consistently disagree with more than lionsden.

Costa, when when in good form, has excellent link up play and can hold the ball up as well as any striker in Europe. He can look a bit clumsy on the ball when he's trying to run at defenders and beat a man with his dribbling but hold up play is one of his biggest strengths.

[Barbara 15,149]

In one of those stupid stats things I've read around, it said that Aguero was the most dispossessed striker in the league. So what now, his hold up play and link up play are shitty because he's the most dispossessed or is he just a crappy striker because of it? As the mate above said, strikers are definitely the most dispossessed players because many times they find themselves isolated against 2 or more opposition players.

He's been having up and downs as any other player - if we consider this is his first year in a league way above any other physically, I think he's been incredible. It's not easy for a striker to adapt to English football and he seems to have played in England since birth. So why don't we cut the guy some slack? He's been crucial to our position in the table, to many matches we won. I do agree on the aerial threat (both in and out of the box) as being one of the areas he needs improvement the most, I do agree he can improve his link up some, but it isn't bad, but I think his hold up is actually pretty good already.

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

In one of those stupid stats things I've read around, it said that Aguero was the most dispossessed striker in the league. So what now, his hold up play and link up play are shitty because he's the most dispossessed or is he just a crappy striker because of it? As the mate above said, strikers are definitely the most dispossessed players because many times they find themselves isolated against 2 or more opposition players.

He's been having up and downs as any other player - if we consider this is his first year in a league way above any other physically, I think he's been incredible. It's not easy for a striker to adapt to English football and he seems to have played in England since birth. So why don't we cut the guy some slack? He's been crucial to our position in the table, to many matches we won. I do agree on the aerial threat (both in and out of the box) as being one of the areas he needs improvement the most, I do agree he can improve his link up some, but it isn't bad, but I think his hold up is actually pretty good already.

this.

His hold-up play has been miles better than Ba's or Torres's and not worse than Remy's or Drogba's.

Costa despite not as gifted has been almost on par with Agüero in terms of goals+influence on his team and in his first season in English football. He has already scored about as many goals as Agüero scored in his first whole season in English football.

At the beginning of the season I predicted him to score 20-25 goals in the league which is exactly what he will do and exactly what we bought him for. Drogba had his highest scoring seasons with 29 and 32. We should give Costa as much time.

[iseah100 5,612]

Costa's all round game is lacking and that much is obvious to everyone. The sheer frequency at which attacking momentum breaks down at his feet is staggering. I have seen average strikers with significantly better hold up and link up play. At this level, its unacceptable not to have the confidence in your striker's ability to bring others into play.

When he scores snd we win, his flaws can be overlooked but when he doesn't, he has no reedeming features to fall back on and you need more than goals from your srriker at this level. Very frustrating player to watch

This might be the most ignorant post I have ever seen.

1. Every striker in the world has plays broken up at his feet because he's usually going against two centerbacks. I've seen Zlatan, Suarez, Aguero, even Messi have multiple attacks break down at their feet, do they all have poor all around games?

2. Yes, some strikers have better link up play, but Costa brings more than just that, his physiciality, workrate, determination, and ability to harass opponents along with holding up play make him an above average striker.

3. 13 goals in 18 games isn't enough? Aguero has 14 and took 4 penalties, that was the dumbest thing I've ever seen you say.

Some fans just will never be happy, we had Fernando FUCKING Torres for 4 years, and now you criticize Costa? Obviously he was gonna slow down from the blistering pace he was on, he got injured and the league adapted to him, somewhat. He'll still bag 20+ goals and without him we'll win nothing. Criticize him for certain performances, not for his season so far.

[ZOS 580]

the West Ham game shows how good he is linking up with the AMs

[LAB 1,030]

Are we so fucking spoiled that after so many years without a proper striker we are already starting to question Diego Costa after 4 months despite the fact that he's a great match for us and his adaptation to the league couldn't have been more perfect? That's sad.

[Special Juan 27,424]

Far too much of a case of people looking too close. First season, bags of goals, bags of good moments......lets enjoy it and support him!!

Granted he isn't amazing in the air but for fucks sake lets not jump all over the back of it and brandish him with the over analysis stick, please.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Far too much of a case of people looking too close. First season, bags of goals, bags of good moments......lets enjoy it and support him!!

Granted he isn't amazing in the air but for fucks sake lets not jump all over the back of it and brandish him with the over analysis stick, please.

It took Torres 69 games and sixteen months to score 13 goals for Chelsea. Perspective.

[RoyalBlues 4,050]

Happy that he is scoring last night. Despite the result, I think Costa performance has been good, and consistently scoring is always a good sign for a striker.

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

Lmaoo for some reason the commentators over here kept saying Costa's been off form, and lacking confidence...

If this is how he plays "off-form" then i'll take it!

That last chance should have been a goal, fuck off Collocini!!

[Milan 17,853]

If he meant this looking at me, I would never dare even to move in front of him

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Diego Costa is 5 goals away from

equalizing Fernando Torres goal tally in his

entire Chelsea career. (PL)

[Special Juan 27,424]

Guy is just a proper out and out goal scorer.

[zolayes 14,489]

he is a goal scorer .... he scores GOALS ,,, what does that make Torres

[baophongne 2]

Costa Fantastic Foward Very happy day

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Very good in the second half, especially in contrast with the first where he was dire to put it lightly. In the first 20 minutes he seemed to just stand in place. Didn't press or make runs. Weird.

On a different note, I really don't like* the gesture he did especially when he was playing that badly. Just get your head down and work harder to improve instead of making provocations to opposition players.

Not about Costa in particular, but I'd really like players to start getting booked for those kind of unsportsmanlike gestures like shushing or card waving.

*edited

[Kieran. 6,317]

Very good in the second half, especially in contrast with the first where he was dire to put it lightly. In the first 20 minutes he seemed to just stand in place. Didn't press or make runs. Weird.

On a different note, I really don't the gesture he did especially when he was playing that badly. Just get your head down and work harder to improve instead of making provocations to opposition players.

Not about Costa in particular, but I'd really like players to start getting booked for those kind of unsportsmanlike gestures like shushing or card waving.

He was telling him to shut up and stop debating whether it was a corner. What's there to get?