Diego Costa is probably one of the most hated players in the Premier League outside the realm of Chelsea FC. The Spaniard has the goals to prove his quality – 36 goals in 58 league appearances – but they have come at the cost of his image. Costa was always known as a fiery player even before he arrived in English football. He famously locked horns with John Terry during a Champions League semi-final game between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid when he was playing for the Spanish club. He went on to join Chelsea less than six months later.
Costa has been a consistent goalscorer for the blues and even though he fell out with Jose Mourinho’s idea of the game last season, he is still one of the most prolific goalscorers in the sport. The 2016-17 season has seen the best of the 27-year-old so far. He has four goals in as many games and has also picked up three yellow cards along the way in typical Costa fashion. As he prepares to lead the attack against Liverpool this weekend, should the Merseyside club pay or not pay their attention to the Brazil-born Spanish international?
Jurgen Klopp has already removed any doubts by classifying Costa as a world class striker. This is a straight mind game aimed at injecting some complacency in the Spaniard’s game. If Klopp thinks that it may work, then he may be in for a shock if history is anything to go by. Costa never falls for praise as he only wants to give his 110% of the team every time he plays. Yes, there have been games – like in the 3-0 win over Burnley – when he struggles to score even when playing well. It is probably one of the few occasions when Costa loses his vision and starts trying even harder.
Costa is at his weakest when he is in this loop. If not, one can expect a top performance from the player. Liverpool have been shipping almost 2 goals per game and they are not in the best possible shape to encounter the threat from Costa. Even though the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar have also been in great form at the start of the campaign, Liverpool defenders only have to watch out for. He is no longer interested in riling up the opposition with his short-tempered nature. But he is attempting to do the same by scoring on a consistent basis.