Diego Costa

[Essien19 1,415]

i agree with a lot of points that you have made, but strongly disagree with some.

lets start with messi. he was poor all throughout the knockout stages. cant remember a thing he did in the final. or against belgium or against switzerland. giving him the man of the tournament was one of the biggest farce i have seen ever. aguero played as a winger in the world cup just so messi could be slotted in the center. hardly a thing i would judge him on.

a question here, do u think suarez is world class? if yes, would suarez make a difference for city. if you swap aguero and suarez right now, would it make a difference. instead of "MSN" shit that goes on, people would be going crazy over "MAN", while man city would still be underperforming in CL. most of the matches in CL, city get their midfield get dominated. forget barca, if you have seen the cska moscow games, hell, their midfield got over run in those matches. the way city approach these games, i honestly doubt anyone except for messi would be able to make a change in place of aguero. so again, i cant judge him on that.

yes, he has not performed in the "biggest of tournaments" but he has a tremendous goal scoring record against us, against spurs, has scored against united or arsenal number of times. so i dont think he "chokes" under pressure or under performs under pressure or in big games, if that is what you were trying to say.

at the end of the day, i feel he is going to end up in RM next year or so. nothing would make me happier to see him gone. and then would be the proper time to judge him in the biggest tournaments.

Sorry mate, i disagree with your assessment about Messi's performances throughout the World Cup 2014.

Messi orchestrated the goal against Switzerland; he ran with the ball and within the right moment he gave it to Di Maria, goal.

In the match against Belgium, he made a sick dribbling shortly before the goal. He made room for his colleagues and allowed the goal to happen.

Messi didn't score or set up a goal from open play against the Netherlands.

But that doesn't exclude him from constantly annoying the defense and being a thread. They couldn't keep up with him.

Messi should have buried that chance against the Germans and as far as i remember that was maybe his poorest game in the competition.

In my opinion Messi lived up to his potential during the competition; leader, lively, dangerous and constantly in the spotlight.

Does that make him the player of the tournament?

In this regard i think Jose Mourinho does have a point that the winner should have come from the winning squad.

True to the old adage that the winner takes it all.

Yes, the team didn't play for Aguero, who had to participate in and play his part.

But maaan, he often failed to play a simple pass, for me he generally looked lost, especially in front of the goal.

As you said: for playing out of position i should cut him some slack, but that was abysmal, sorry.

City does have a fan base and the pressure in the Premier-League isn't small, but playing for your country and on home soil,

these are the big moments. In the past he had problems, that makes it more and more difficult to perform.

Turning to Luis Suarez, yes, i think he would have done more for City, now we are playing the "what-if" game, lol.

For me Suarez is the better player;

way more unpredictable, versatile, creative and more lethal in front of the goal with his clear chances, the list goes on...

Apart from that, most importantly, Suarez is less injury-prone, you have to be available and in good condition to deliver the goods.

Yes, i have seen the games from Manchester City and "El Ingeniero" has to learn from his mistakes,

two man upfront is one hell of a risky business. On this point i have to agree with you.

I prefer a strong competition and having the best players in the league. Therefore i don't want Aguero off to Spain.

Sometimes i go to the Allianz Arena and watching a 3-4-5:0 trashing against weak oppositions is boring as hell.

i honestly think, costa would have killed simeone or something if he was not played in the CL final. i mean this is a guy who wanted to play against WBA or some team after we had won the league and he was not completely fit. what would this guy do to be a part of the CL final. anyways, fair point about his importance for ATM, and no denying that he was important. he was someone who defined ATM - bullish, fighters, massive character and will.

but i still think, koke-luis partnership was ATM's main focal point and X-factor that season.

Costa is extreme, we all know it.

Once again we agree to disagree; i know that the koke-luis partnership was strong and important, but for me Costa was the central point.

He led the line against some of the meanest guys around, being the striker is one of the most difficult positions to participate in.

Maybe i am damaged because of Torres, i don't know, lol.

Thanks for the input, nice talking to you!

[iceboy 992]

Look at Claude. lol

[Magic Lamps 11,450]

I don't understand why people say that what Costa does WORKS. How exactly does it work?

He got a player sent off without even committing a single foul the whole game. He looks like a hothead, a thug, but he is extremely clever in that. he winds up the opposition but escapes punishments. That makes the opponents angry and angry men make mistakes.He played shit but still arguably won us the game with that sending off. can't complain. He has not been sent off since 122 games in which he only recorded 36 yellow cards btw, completely in control of wha the does. when he slapped koscielny, he knew no ref watched him. when he stood up, chest bumping kos, he had his hands close to his body, he would never get sent off for that either. That's just what he does. And everyone at the club knew what he was like. a warrior. some might think this is just what we need.

[iceboy 992]

Chelsea striker Diego Costa will find out on Monday whether FA will take retrospective action following his antics against Arsenal

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3241998/Chelsea-striker-Diego-Costa-Monday-FA-retrospective-action-following-antics-against-Arsenal.html#ixzz3mISfEIBV

[ZOS 580]

The funny thing is, you guys say what Costa did was okay - but say this happened on the flip side...Giroud rips Cahill's mask off and no ref saw that, would you say Giroud was smart? He's a warrior? The man of the match? To add salt to injury, Giroud got Cahill sent off because Cahill went bonkers?

No, I'll never say Giroud is a hero ... because I'm not an Arsenal fan.

Keep in mind our rivals are not supposed to enjoy our victories .. the more miserable they are the happier we should be :blue scalf:

[ZOS 580]

So it's because of bias then. Not because you support antics like what Costa did yesterday.

yeah, I wish he could take it easy some of the time ...but, I like his passion and I especially enjoyed what he did yesterday

[didierforever 7,349]

Sorry mate, i disagree with your assessment about Messi's performances throughout the World Cup 2014.

Messi orchestrated the goal against Switzerland; he ran with the ball and within the right moment he gave it to Di Maria, goal.

In the match against Belgium, he made a sick dribbling shortly before the goal. He made room for his colleagues and allowed the goal to happen.

Messi didn't score or set up a goal from open play against the Netherlands.

But that doesn't exclude him from constantly annoying the defense and being a thread. They couldn't keep up with him.

Messi should have buried that chance against the Germans and as far as i remember that was maybe his poorest game in the competition.

In my opinion Messi lived up to his potential during the competition; leader, lively, dangerous and constantly in the spotlight.

Does that make him the player of the tournament?

In this regard i think Jose Mourinho does have a point that the winner should have come from the winning squad.

True to the old adage that the winner takes it all.

Yes, the team didn't play for Aguero, who had to participate in and play his part.

But maaan, he often failed to play a simple pass, for me he generally looked lost, especially in front of the goal.

As you said: for playing out of position i should cut him some slack, but that was abysmal, sorry.

City does have a fan base and the pressure in the Premier-League isn't small, but playing for your country and on home soil,

these are the big moments. In the past he had problems, that makes it more and more difficult to perform.

Turning to Luis Suarez, yes, i think he would have done more for City, now we are playing the "what-if" game, lol.

For me Suarez is the better player;

way more unpredictable, versatile, creative and more lethal in front of the goal with his clear chances, the list goes on...

Apart from that, most importantly, Suarez is less injury-prone, you have to be available and in good condition to deliver the goods.

Yes, i have seen the games from Manchester City and "El Ingeniero" has to learn from his mistakes,

two man upfront is one hell of a risky business. On this point i have to agree with you.

I prefer a strong competition and having the best players in the league. Therefore i don't want Aguero off to Spain.

Sometimes i go to the Allianz Arena and watching a 3-4-5:0 trashing against weak oppositions is boring as hell.

Costa is extreme, we all know it.

Once again we agree to disagree; i know that the koke-luis partnership was strong and important, but for me Costa was the central point.

He led the line against some of the meanest guys around, being the striker is one of the most difficult positions to participate in.

Maybe i am damaged because of Torres, i don't know, lol.

Thanks for the input, nice talking to you!

again, i have to disagree. the fact that argentina boasted of messi, maria, lavezzi, aguero, higuain etc etc and yet their defence was their USP. messi has so much quality that he will have a moment of magic. but overall, he was uninfluential. as for the leader, i thought argentina had only one leader. and it was mascherano. infact if the man of the tournament had to go to some player from argentina, it should have been masch. he was their best player.

i know there is can possibly be no winner in the "what-if" game. so lets leave it. but i honestly dont think suarez could make any difference to city in CL. as for the comparision between those 2, i think both of these players are very close to each other in every aspect but suarez is more clinical.

u might disagree, but i honestly think villa led them as well as costa. for eg - against barca in the CL. to start costa in the final was more an emotional decision or soemthing and it backfired. they could have used a fresh pair of legs in extra time. but even then, villa led them really well for most of the match even in the final.

[Barbara 15,149]

So Gary Neville, Shearer and Les Ferdinand have all said they love how Costa plays, I agree with them! Danny Murphy also agrees that it was just handbags yesterday, I really dont get why people on here try to take the moral high ground when they support Chelsea. Bizarre.

can someone please explain to me what 'handbags' mean in the context? All I can think about when I read handbag is Channel. :blush:

[pHaRaOn 2,131]

can someone please explain to me what 'handbags' mean in the context? All I can think about when I read handbag is Channel. :blush:

To shove or push someone. Unlike striking or punching.

[Clockwork 1,764]

He got a player sent off without even committing a single foul the whole game. He looks like a hothead, a thug, but he is extremely clever in that. he winds up the opposition but escapes punishments. That makes the opponents angry and angry men make mistakes.He played shit but still arguably won us the game with that sending off. can't complain. He has not been sent off since 122 games in which he only recorded 36 yellow cards btw, completely in control of wha the does. when he slapped koscielny, he knew no ref watched him. when he stood up, chest bumping kos, he had his hands close to his body, he would never get sent off for that either. That's just what he does. And everyone at the club knew what he was like. a warrior. some might think this is just what we need.

I think the poster you quoted is saying in general It is very ineffective. Gabriel is only a few victim in his years of thuggery and trolling on the pitch. Costa spends more energy on the pitch trying to pick a fight then actually try to score a goal. Really poor by Gabriel most don't bite.

Another thing to look at is the implication of his actions on ref decisions in the future. We already seen him denied clear cut penalties, thanks in large to his characteristics. That is no doubt something that will continue, and you have to consider when you call his actions effective.

[lionsden 4,689]

Suarez is a villian. He bites people, cries, moans. He broke Szczesny's finger on Wednesday when he kicked him in his hand when he was holding the ball.

But he's such a brilliant player. I don't care about Diego Costa behaviour as much, it's frustrating and tiresome after a while, but his overall footballing skill is not sufficient. He was going for the record in amount of lost ball in final third, his passing is terrible. How we can construct any attack with him ? Yeah, we saw that last season when 37 years old Drogba has link up play much better and you can play something with him. With Diego you can't. Pin long ball over the top for him and let him use the space but it's not enough. He ruins EVERY bit of attack, it's much much much more frustrating than his antics. We won't be full time great team with him, we want to play possession based football with DC, it's not happening. We're hoping that his passing and hold up play is decent and doesn't turn terrible that day. It's the maximum we can hope of.

As I said, he is another short term solution by the club just like Fabregas. They were available and cheap and could have immediate impact to team's concerns but that's it.

Excellent post. This is precisely what I meant when I said he's not worth the drama. You can tolerate it more if he was actually an elite player and one that can not be easily replaced like Suarez for example.

[Muzchap 8,966]

can someone please explain to me what 'handbags' mean in the context? All I can think about when I read handbag is Channel. :blush:

It stems from 'women' fighting in public (normally at nightclubs) in the 80's

Sometimes they would hit each other with handbags or just simply put them down and start grappling - no real punches were thrown

Hence the name handbags (a precursor to a female scuffle)

I dont thinj it contains a discriminatory bias - as it was factual at the time the phrase was coined

[Blue_Fox_ 2,086]

Excellent post. This is precisely what I meant when I said he's not worth the drama. You can tolerate it more if he was actually an elite player and one that can not be easily replaced like Suarez for example.

So, we're taking the higher morale ground....but.. you can bite people and break fingers if you are an "elite" player. Because it makes it more acceptable.

Costa rarely gets sent off and doesn't really hurt anyone. But it is not acceptable because he isn't an "elite" player.

I'm sorry but i can't seem to wrap my head around it.

[Oscar 441]

I hope Spain drops Costa for the Euros

[Barbara 15,149]

I think the poster you quoted is saying in general It is very ineffective. Gabriel is only a few victim in his years of thuggery and trolling on the pitch. Costa spends more energy on the pitch trying to pick a fight then actually try to score a goal. Really poor by Gabriel most don't bite.

Another thing to look at is the implication of his actions on ref decisions in the future. We already seen him denied clear cut penalties, thanks in large to his characteristics. That is no doubt something that will continue, and you have to consider when you call his actions effective.

If most don't bite than it really isn't that bad. As I said players are physically bothering others everywhere. Costa is blatant about his moves, but he doesn't necessarily cross the line. I think he should tone down because the FA will eventually punish him for his handbags (thanks @pHaRaOn, and @Muzchap for explaining what that means).

Compare those childish provocations that stupid opposition player fall for to what Suarez do to the people, is really overboard imo.

Costa plays barely within the rules, but still within them. People are entitled to think the sport shouldn't have this and all the sportsmanship thing they want. The reality though is that football is much closer to rugby than to golf. I don't think putting his hands on Koscielny's face is on the same level as biting someone or a dirty tackle that could jeopardize a players' career. I don't even compare it to actually punches and slaps. He didn't slap Koscielny, he just slipped his hands on his face. Is it nice? No, that's why the referee can call fouls. Call it a foul and move on. Some people are reacting as if Diego has physically assaulted the Arsenal players in a way that put their physical integrity at stake. Actually they call him a criminal, a thug and other words similar and that's an exaggeration imo.

So let's start using the same words - sportsmanship, morality, limits - to the tactical foul that stops a counter-attack? OR to players drawing fouls, begging the opponents to touch them and succeeding on that.

I don't get this high horse morality some here have when the dirty moves Costa makes are within the rules after all. They can be punished with fouls being called and the eventual yellow card.

I also think some are mixing the cause and consequence of his behavior. He doesn't start playing dirt - as you name it - because he doesn't want to focus on scoring. More often than not he resorts to provoking opponents when things aren't going his way. It's the way he deals with the frustration of not playing well. That's the real problem here. He hasn't been at the top of his game, his linkup, dribbling and movement have been bad and some aspects of them aren't even that great to start with. He uses those things to mask or make up for the lack of quality on his part. I don't even think he does it purposefully, he's just a hot fuse and when things don't go his way he's a bomb about to explode, but still he finds within himself the strength to prevent him from going too far.

Let the press and the opposition fans hate him all they want. As long as he tones down a bit so FA - who doesn't punish actually punches, ill kicks, elbows and other stuff other teams' players do - won't punish him for just putting his hand on a CB's face. It's not nice, but football has never been about being nice. That's what tennis is about, not football and the purists and moralists have a field day with this behavior, but it doesn't change the fact football has always been like that. There's dirty contact to affect your opponent, there's a lot of dirty words being said to provoke opponents, there's malice in drawing fouls from unexperienced, limited or nervous players. None of those things are nice, but they are part of the sport just the same.

I draw the line when players are violent or divers. Diego isn't either.

[Unionjack 7,531]

This is why Gaby stuck his oar in. Needed some payback for making him look like a twat. I reckon he must have given Kos some acting lessons cause him throwing himself on the floor after that belly bump was truly Oscar winning.

[lionsden 4,689]

So, we're taking the higher morale ground....but.. you can bite people and break fingers if you are an "elite" player. Because it makes it more acceptable.

Costa rarely gets sent off and doesn't really hurt anyone. But it is not acceptable because he isn't an "elite" player.

I'm sorry but i can't seem to wrap my head around it.

I said "tolerable" not "acceptable". Do I need to bring out a dictionary?

Some of Mourinho's acts and behaviour aren't acceptable either but some people " tolerate" him/it because of his winning pedigree.

[zolayes 14,489]

briefly ,, Costa can do what he wants because he is OURS ,, Sorry as some people have said he crosses the line TOO often . I am afraid now he will become a target

and it is his fault and Mourinhos for encouraging it