Chelsea are defending Diego Costa’s form and behaviour with a flaky company line
Antonio Conte’s insistence on playing Diego Costa is increasingly inexplicable given his form and his behaviour. After the match against Stoke, Chelsea trotted out some talking points that do not reflect what many saw on Saturday.
Antonio Conte is in an unenviable predicament regarding Diego Costa. Conte needs Costa’s goals to finish Chelsea’s title quest. To keep Costa scoring, Conte needs to keep Costa happy and massage the striker’s ego (see also: China, You can go to).
Conte has little leverage in this process, although much of that is his own fault. He does not trust and is unwilling to risk sending Michy Batshuayi on to the pitch. That leaves Conte little recourse to playing Costa even when Costa reverts to his worst tendencies.
To justify this decision to the world – if not himself – Conte needs to spin Costa’s performance a bit. After Saturday’s match with Stoke, Conte commended Costa for being “very disciplined,” for thinking “for the team, not only for himself” and for being “a great player” for his restraint.
"It may have been a wee bit tongue-in-cheek. I don’t think people are quite used to Conte’s sense of humour yet. At least I hope it was tongue-in-cheek, because Costa spent more time on the floor and he wasn’t there for the other forwards. – Daniel Mcclue, The Blue Lions"
Conte’s comments made little sense at the time. Only when Thibaut Courtois weighed in on Monday did the picture start to emerge.
"In some moments maybe Diego exaggerates a bit as well but I think most of the time they were hitting him quite well… It’s a good job he remained calm and dealt with what happened to him and moved on. – Evening Standard"
No one expects players or a manager to throw one of their teammates under the bus (unless the manager’s last name rhymes with Thourinho). But there are euphemisms that would more accurately reflect what everyone saw, and what the players surely felt as acutely as the fans.
Describe Costa as feisty or tenacious. Say “he gives as good as he gets.” Talk about unfair calls. Any of that would have been within normal bounds while still being realistic.
Instead, Chelsea are tap dancing around Costa. They are also protecting their manager, because you cannot mention Costa’s form and behaviour without leading to a question about Antonio Conte’s squad selection. And that leads to speculation about summer transfers in and out of the club.
"He’s unpredictable as a player… We didn’t need a player like him against Stoke. We needed someone who was going to stay composed. We could see right from the outset what Stoke’s tactics were: they targeted Costa and he rose to it every single time. – Rayna Sidhu, The Blue Lions"
Diego Costa is now influencing Chelsea in all the wrong ways and in many the wrong places. The club are making concessions for him that no player deserve, particularly not one who is likely on his way out.
Romelu Lukaku is one possible replacement for Costa. He is showing how a professional should conduct himself when he knows his time is running short. Lukaku gave a lengthy interview last week where he bluntly but respectfully laid out why he will leave Everton this summer. Lukaku has not had a falling out with Ronald Koeman. He did not whinge to the press. And he scored two more goals this weekend, pushing him well atop the field for the Premier League Golden Boot.
Next: Antonio Conte's third-quarter grades: Triumphing through a trying span
Lukaku exhibited the maturity of character and footballing that Diego Costa does not. Lukaku’s words as well as his play should have Chelsea asking Mino Raiola if he prefers his fee in pounds or bitcoin. Antonio Conte inherited much of the Costa situation. He should not allow it to persist a moment longer than necessary to lift the trophy.