Chelsea FC 2-2 Tottenham: 5 things we learned
By Yves Binda
4. Diego Costa is a liability
Yes, he had an outstanding season for Chelsea last year and scored some notable goals this time around (in the post-Jose Mourinho era) but Diego Costa isn’t the right fit for Chelsea. With Tottenham’s big physical defenders, the Spaniard’s inability to hold the ball up and bring players into the game was noticeably exposed. This forced him to drop in deeper to collect the ball during most attacking moves.
Furthermore, while Costa can’t lawfully be labeled as slow, you still feel that few are the defenders that he will actually beat for pace. With Atletico Madrid wanting him back, Chelsea should make a swap for Antoine Griezmann and bring back Romelu Lukaku from Everton if possible, thereby creating a fierce speed-strength striking partnership favoring Antonio Conte’s 4-2-4 system.
The Blues also require some back-up at the top end of the field. Alexandre Pato, Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy all look set to leave Stamford Bridge over the summer. Whether it be through internal promotion or external recruitment, Chelsea need to make sure that they have at least a couple of genuine striking options next season.
Next: 5. The best is yet to come