IN FOCUS: {DIEGO COSTA}-{I WAS READING THE DAY CHELSEA COMFIRMED COSTAS AGREEMENT WITH ATLETI,ANYONE WOULD SHED TEARS READING CHELSEA FANS COMMENTS ON HIM} Diego Costa continued his scintillating early season form with a thumping header in Saturdays 3-0 victory over Aston Villa to notch his 8th goal in 6 Premier League games&consolidate Chelseas 3-point lead at the top of the table. The Spain intnl has taken to life in England like a natural following a £32M move from Atletico Madrid this summer,&is,by Jose Mourinhos admission,a different kind of striker that gives his side the versatility that Fernando Torres simply could not muster last season. Question marks remain over the 25yrs-olds fitness - Mourinho stated after Saturdays win that the striker is doing almost nothing in training due to his hamstring problems - but after another impressive display up front for the Blues,Chelseas hopes for silverware increasingly look set to rest on Costas broad shoulders. PERFORMANCE AGAINST ASTON VILLA While Costas strike on Saturday was not decisive in terms of Chelsea collecting 3points against Villa,the timing of it - just before the hour mark - allowed Mourinhos men to breathe easy&ultimately stroll to victory at Stamford Bridge. The home supporters were beginning to grow restless at the Blues had not added to Oscars early finish,&they had every right to be nervy given Villas impressive early season form&speed on the counter - but Costa put paid to those worries with a perfectly-timed run&header which he powered high into Brad Guzans net. The Spaniard can seemingly do no wrong at the moment as he leads the Premier League goalscoring charts by 3goals,but perhaps more impressive than his headed effort was his willingness to drop back&get involved in his sides build-up play to leave his markers chasing thin air. An attacking midfield trio of Oscar,Willian&Eden Hazard is tricky to track at the best of times,though Costa often traded positions with Oscar in the 1st half,allowing the young Brazilian to lead the line in order to make late runs into the box - a tactic which so nearly paid dividends half an hour in but for a fine save from Guzan. Costas influence grew throughout the match&after more fine build-up play 10mins from the end,his powerful run&shot forced a defensive mix-up from which Willian gleefully tapped home Chelseas 3rd of the afternoon. The forward was withdrawn soon after as Mourinho sought to carefully manage his temperamental hamstring,but Costa looks the real deal. Not since Didier Drogbas glory days has the Portuguese coach had a striker with such a fearsome all-round game,&Mourinho may have found the final piece of his Chelsea jigsaw in Costa. COSTAS SEASON SO FAR What more can you really say about a striker who has scored 8goals in his 1st 6games in a new division? The pressure was certainly on Costa following a dire World Cup with Spain,but the 25yrs-old has picked up where he left off for Atletico Madrid and is scoring for fun this term. Chelsea made a difficult start at newly-promoted Burnley on the opening day of their 2014-15 campaign as Scott Arfield put The Clarets 1-0 up 14 minutes in,but it took Costa just 3 more minutes to turn things round&announce himself as the Blues built on his equaliser to win 3-1. A 2nd-half strike from Costa made the breakthrough against a dogged Leicester side to help secure another victory,while 2 more goals at Everton - along with a heated confontation with Seamus Coleman - ensured Chelsea left Goodison Park with 3points along with a few more enemies. A hat-trick then followed as Costa blew away a dangerous Swansea side at Stamford Bridge,while the fact that a draw at Man City is both the only league game in which Costa has not scored&also the only one where Chelsea have failed to pick up 3points will not have been lost on supporters. As Mourinho said after the victory over Villa,Costas team-mates can associate themselves with the striker far more easily than with Torres. From the midfielders to the full-backs,the team seem to understand the role that the Spaniard plays. With the 25yrs-old on form,Chelsea are putting teams to the sword,with nearest goalscoring rivals Man City (12) lagging 7 strikes behind Mourinhos men (19). WILL HE EVER REACH FULL FITNESS? Quite simply,not even Mourinho&his coaching staff will have an accurate gauge of Costas fitness until the day before a game at this stage. The Portuguese coach says the striker could be top for club&country should Spain refuse to call him up for their next Euro 2016 qualifiers in October,though Mourinho admits that Vicente del Bosque will have the final say in that regard. With Costa barely training at the moment,2games in the space of 4days - with a flight in between - may be too soon to risk him vs Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday,though Chelseas home draw vs Schalke in the opening game of their Champions League group ensures Mourinho can ill-afford any more slip-ups in Europe. With both Didier Drogba&Loic Remy waiting in the wings,the Blues could well rest their star man&give him further time in order to be fit for next Sundays big league clash against potential title rivals Arsenal. Whether that affects their Euro hopes is up for debate,but until Costa gets those 15 vital days to fully recover,the strikers fitness will be a constant guessing game for both the club&player. #HAZARDOUS
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 08:54:27 +0000
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