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What’s in store for Chelsea’s Diego Costa in 2016/17?

By Neel Madhavan

BREMEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 07: Diego Costa of Chelsea in action during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Werder Bremen and Chelsea at Weserstadion on August 7, 2016 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
BREMEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 07: Diego Costa of Chelsea in action during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Werder Bremen and Chelsea at Weserstadion on August 7, 2016 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) /
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Diego Costa is magical, frustrating, aggravating, amazing, terrifying… all in one game. What will Antonio Conte do with his lead striker at Chelsea for the 2016/17 Premier League season?

Diego Costa is an enigma; one moment he’s capable of sheer brilliance in front of goal, while the next moment he’s getting carded for an inexplicable loss of temperament.

For much of the summer, the Spaniard had been linked with a move back to Atletico Madrid. But, just recently, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo came out and stated that Costa would remain with Chelsea.

So, where does Costa fit into new manager Antonio Conte’s plans at Chelsea?

Judging by pre-season, unless the Blues make a splash in the transfer market and sign another centre forward, Costa will likely be Conte’s first-choice striker. Which means that he could play with a strike partner in one of Conte’s 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 formations. Or, he’ll be the lone front man in the 4-3-3 that Conte experimented with in the 4-2 win over Werder Bremen.

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Based on results and current squad personnel, Costa would be best suited to play in Conte’s 4-3-3. With Eden Hazard and Willian feeding him passes from the wing, and the combination of Oscar, N’Golo Kante, and Cesc Fabregas threading him balls from the midfield, Costa’s strongest attributes will be best utilized.

Like the majority of the squad, Costa’s production dropped off significantly during Chelsea’s disappointing mid-table finish last season. He scored 12 goals in league play, down from 20 the season before. Twelve goals isn’t going to be enough this season if Chelsea want to get back to competing for the title and for Champions League spots.

If Costa can finish with a minimum of 15 Premier League goals, it would be a successful campaign. But, more goals are going to need to come from his colleagues all over the pitch if Chelsea are going to regain their title-challenger status.

Diego Costa brings a lot to the table. His strength and physicality are perfectly suited for the Premier League, as well as his clinical finishing ability in front of goal. But, with the good, comes the bad, and that means his volatile and unpredictable temperament on the pitch.

Some categorize Costa’s on-field behavior as detrimental to the team, but in some cases it can be an asset as well. It can serve as a rallying call to jump-start the team on the pitch if the squad is putting in a lackadaisical performance.

Another weakness that Costa needs to clean up from his game is the tendency that he has to drift wide, especially on counter-attacks. As a lone striker, he needs to stay central and let the other attackers and midfielders get him the ball.

Should Conte decide to go with a two-striker setup, Costa might have a little more freedom to occasionally drift onto the wings, but it’s certainly not a strong point of his.

Health is key for Costa. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be productive. If he is forced to miss any time due to injury, then Chelsea will have to rely on the pace and power of new signing Michy Batshuayi for goals from the centre forward spot.

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