Chelsea need Diego Costa to harness his aggression
Diego Costa attracts attention in equal parts for his goalscoring prowess and his on-pitch antics. He has been dubbed a menace by football fans and pundits alike, and it seems to be just a matter of time before he gets sent off during a game.
Already this young season, Diego Costa has rescued Chelsea from sticky situations. His impulsive style of play antagonizes the opposition, while he prowls the 18-yard area for the Blues.
Costa was Chelsea’s saving grace against Swansea City. He bagged a brace, including a sublime overhead kick to secure a draw for Chelsea. His aggressive play and offensive output melded beautifully in the equalizing goal.
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Costa was Chelsea’s main threat going forward for 90 minutes. He matched that with persistent aggression, ultimately earning a booking for, of all things, dissent.
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Costa’s behaviour has been a consistent talking point in the Premier League. The punditry reached a new level of peak Costa with the breathless debate over whether the league should ban overhead goals.
They didn’t say that for Wayne Rooney. They don’t say that about Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But Diego Costa made it happen.
Match officials will be closely monitoring Diego Costa in Chelsea’s coming games. The Football Association’s stringent new rules for this season are in full effect. Referees seem quite keen on strictly imposing them, particularly for dissent.
Where another player would get away with something, Costa will get called for a foul. When a different player would receive a foul, Costa will see yellow. On the flip side, fouls against Costa will go unpunished, all but provoking him to retaliate. In any case, the odds are stacked against him to get booked, sent off or suspended.
Antonio Conte needs Costa to channel his aggression to avoid all situations that could result in the official producing a red card.
Costa loves playing on the edge. That’s the sort of player that he is – Chelsea knew that when they signed him. His style of play is beneficial to Chelsea, but it comes with serious downsides. Costa can play mind-games with the opposition and force them out of their comfort zone. He is bound to make rash decisions at certain points in games. He can also lose control of himself and harm his own team in the process.
His physical style of play coupled with his drive and aggression drives him to take ONdefenders. Few players can man-mark the Brazil-born striker, as Swansea’s Jordi Amat can attest.
The 27-year-old can throw players off balance, but he’s also prone to making huge mistakes once provoked, and he’s seemingly quite easy to stir up. When utterly frustrated, Costa cannot always restrain his instinct to engage in tussles on the pitch. Under the new directives, a physical brawl of any kind is grounds for an immediate red card.
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Costa needs to harness that aspect of his game, and who better than the Italian gaffer to guide him. Antonio Conte recognizes a kindred spirit in Diego Costa. If Conte was not restrained by the touchlines, he would roam the sidelines – and maybe the pitch – in a Costa-esque imposing manner. Their #passion is overwhelming and inspiring. After last year’s deflated squad, more is better than less.
Antonio Conte has learned to channel his #passion and aggression. He could not be an effective manager if his emotions ran rampant. Conte understands where Costa is coming from and what goes through Costa’s mind. He also knows what it takes to channel those emotions into productivity and victories. These two have the potential to be one of the great manager-player success stories if they can convert their most volatile instincts into something positive.
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If Diego Costa can channel his aggression, he will not only be better striker but a better all-round player. He will be able to stamp his authority in games without constantly getting booked, and motivate his teammates along the way.