Only got to wait a few months to find out lads.

Totally agree, He's the only one showing any will to win whatsoever.

He must be frustrated, he seems left to it at times

hes been our best player in 2016 by far 

No selling Costa please. If anything we need another striker to bolster our attack, Not sell the one capable striker we have. 

For the guy to have 15 goals this seasons is a true miracle, because bar Fabregas, the support he gets is an absolute disgrace. The amount of times our "wingers" or "creative players" get to the by-line with the ball then decide to stand there for 5 seconds before passing the ball back inside would drive you insane, and it more than likely drives Costa insane. There is absolutely no risk-taking or invention in this team whatsoever, no balls

 

Yep, said the same in the match thread yesterday. Look at Costa's goals in the first half of last season, he was scoring for fun because we were getting the ball to him quickly. In the 2nd half of last season and the whole of this season, every player but Fabregas takes an age to get the ball to him in the box. 

 

If we are counter attacking, you can see Costa bursting forward, but if Willian, Hazard or Oscar are on the ball, you can almost guarantee that they will take forever to make a decision to make the pass. When they eventually do anything, the opposition have got numbers back and Costa will have had to drift out wide or outside the area to make space for himself. This isn't Costa's game. You need to get the ball to him early so he is one on one with the keeper or defender, he is dangerous from those positions.

 

Costa not charged with biting incident. Though could be charged for gesture towards Everton fans after being sent off.

 

Any gesture he makes to the Everton fans are no worse than what every player receives every week from football fans. If the F.A are going to charge him for that, then it's about time they started handing out fines to clubs for the behaviour of their fans.

Yep, said the same in the match thread yesterday. Look at Costa's goals in the first half of last season, he was scoring for fun because we were getting the ball to him quickly. In the 2nd half of last season and the whole of this season, every player but Fabregas takes an age to get the ball to him in the box. 

 

If we are counter attacking, you can see Costa bursting forward, but if Willian, Hazard or Oscar are on the ball, you can almost guarantee that they will take forever to make a decision to make the pass. When they eventually do anything, the opposition have got numbers back and Costa will have had to drift out wide or outside the area to make space for himself. This isn't Costa's game. You need to get the ball to him early so he is one on one with the keeper or defender, he is dangerous from those positions.

 

 

Any gesture he makes to the Everton fans are no worse than what every player receives every week from football fans. If the F.A are going to charge him for that, then it's about time they started handing out fines to clubs for the behaviour of their fans.

 

Or to sum it up, Our Counter-Attack has no counter to it, It is just a slow attack ... lol !!

I've never been so against a Chelsea player as I am Costa, I find his behaviour indefensible. He's like saurez but nowhere as good. I can't stand him and hope he leaves this summer, he's not good enough for all the sh*t and the attitude.

Edited March 13, 201610 yr by Barn

I've never been so against a Chelsea player as I am Costa, I find his behaviour indefensible. He's like saurez but nowhere as good. I can't stand him and hope he leaves this summer, he's not good enough for all the sh*t and the attitude.

100% agree Barn. I was one of those who wanted him at the club and hoped he might be able to help fill the huge hole left by Drogba.

I was wrong. The never-ending hardman act is all for show and makes him look a complete w**ker.

Edited March 13, 201610 yr by just

Any striker on the planet will offer us more than Costa 'currently' in the next three games.

 

And after those three games? 

 

I understand why Costa isn't universally liked and I'm not a fan of everything he does, but the guy has been an absolute warrior on the pitch in the last few months and one of the few who has done justice to the shirt.

I agree with a few on here who state our attacking mids have been a bit of a disappointment, we dont have anyone who can offer us width bar Baba. All others tend to cut in or pass sideways making our play narrow and easy to defend against.

The more width we play with the further a backline is stretched hence creating holes for a striker to exploit and that is what Costa thrives on.

Iam inclined to play Baba at LW he seems the only one with ability and quality to get some chalk on his boots and whip those dangerous balls in.

100% agree Barn. I was one of those who wanted him at the club and hoped he might be able to help fill the huge hole left by Drogba.

I was wrong. The never-ending hardman act is all for show and makes him look a complete w**ker.

Not really arsed what it makes him look like as long as he scores goals which currently, he's doing.

Not really arsed what it makes him look like as long as he scores goals which currently, he's doing.

I do, he's wearing the Chelsea shirt, representing my club and so to me it does matter.

I do, he's wearing the Chelsea shirt, representing my club and so to me it does matter.

 

I can see why the aggression might be a bit much for some and I'd love him to calm down a bit but in terms of representing the shirt and doing it justice, he's doing that more than anyone at the moment. He's leading that team and it was clear to see in the Paris game. He did that shirt proud and he's been doing that since the turn of the year when plenty of others really don't look like they could give a damn.

First of all, f* Berry and the referees. Costa has been judged by reputation since his arrival, now defenders could do whatever they like to him without any fear of being carded. Of course he lost it, but he took plenty without complains and without referee's interference. We must keep him, he's the only few players that cared. Considering we aren't likely to sign top class players next season, we need to keep hold of the players that want to play for us. Most of our players just talk these days, and not showing up on the game time, Costa is different. He fought, he lost, so be it, at least he didn't leave anything behind. He's going to get us 20 goals a season if he has a good preseason. The next 9 games are just preseason friendly, who cares if Costa sit out 3 games?

Costa can go. I supported him for a long time but his performances for much of this season, and now this incident with Barry have tipped me to the other side. May not have bitten him, but what he did was not pretty. I dont want to see it on a pitch and certainly not in Chelsea colours. Suarez is scum and I would never want him at Chelsea despite him clearly being a world class performer. Same with Costa. Very good striker, but not what I want to see turning out for Chelsea. I'd rather we were above that

We must keep him, we aren't going to attract anyone as good without European football!

I think it's pretty obvious he's leading the team, against PSG he was the only one who had a desire and passion to win. He took the bull by the horns and fought to the very end, but his team mates let him down and PSG was too good for him to do it all himself.

Without Costa we're completely spineless.

If he wants to stay I'd keep him. We wont get better and I don't think many other fighters are in this squad.

He didn't bite Barry, had he done so I'd want him sacked.

Costa can f**k off, he's a loose cannon and just out for himself.

I can see why the aggression might be a bit much for some and I'd love him to calm down a bit but in terms of representing the shirt and doing it justice, he's doing that more than anyone at the moment. He's leading that team and it was clear to see in the Paris game. He did that shirt proud and he's been doing that since the turn of the year when plenty of others really don't look like they could give a damn.

 

Try watching him with your 7yr Grandson and feel proud of him.

Try watching him with your 7yr Grandson and feel proud of him.

 

Yeah I can understand that. I watch him with grown men who are able to understand nuanced characters in a way 7 year olds can't. It's a bit of a slippery slope though, if we judge our players as a 7 year old might.

 

There's things about his character I dislike and things I absolutely love so it comes down to individuals deciding on their own, weighing the good against the bad. The bad is undeniable at times, but the guy is one of the few showing the passion and dedication that we want isn't he?

Costa is fighting a battle that he simply cannot win now.

He is a moving target and has made a rod for his own back with the hard man persona. There are 10 players in the opposite side every single game who can go out there to give him one nasty foul and effectively get away with it, a telling off or a booking at best.

All it takes is one or two and he loses it. All too easy for the opposition.

We need alternatives.

I think with Costa we have to understand his character isn’t going to change overnight or maybe not at all. He is the kind of player who is always going to be walking the tight rope of what’s accepted as sporting aggression and unacceptable behaviour.

We knew this when we signed him and when he was banging them last season in it was largely overlooked, this season he started like a slob…overweight and dire so there was no goals or glory to take the heat off his antics. I slaughtered him at that time and wanted him sold, credit to him he turned it around and got back in shape and into form.

He’s always going to shove his face into opponents, square up to them and pretty much wrestle with anyone who tries to stop him scoring goals, what we have to ask ourselves is do the positives (goals, effort, desire..) outweigh the negatives with Costa?

I mean if we had CL football and were in the top end of the table then sure we could maybe go out and bring in a Lewandowski (sp) or the likes but that’s not going to happen due to where we are. Who could come in next and score the goals to take us back to the top? I don’t think there is anyone more efficient than Costa tbh. Of course that all might not matter if he wants to go which we also need to prepare ourselves for.

Role model wise he’s not a good example to set for our younger players and fans in certain respects but then neither are the divers, play-actors and so on that litters the best sides in Europe. Don’t get me wrong if he starts biting (he didn’t) punching and being a Suarez I want nothing to do with him, he’s not violent or dirty...he’s just easily wound up and likes to put himself about.

For us right now I don’t think it’s a popularity contest…we need leaders and players who change games…Costa is one of very few who fit into that IMO.

ShedEnder91, I understand what you're saying about fight and passion but I disagree where Diego is concerned.  I don't see him showing passion for the club, I see him being a man that loves to try to hurt people by being dirty rather than being tough, I see a man that when he's there he wants to charge around 100 miles an hour leaving boots and elbows in on people, and I see a man that is "not there" far too often.

 

That's my take on it, I'm not trying to change your mind just offering a different perspective on it.

Wouldnt want him here next season, goals or not. The trouble he brings (not just for himself but the enitre team) is not worth the goals he brings to the team.

 

He now has a big bullseye painted on his head, every team will target him the same way everton did all match and quite often he will lose control to put us a man down.

 

Those who think we wont be able to attract players without CL are simply deluded in my opinion. Westham, spurs and dippers have all attracted plenty of awesome players over the years without CL football. We can get by for a summer just fine.

Edited March 14, 201610 yr by Orpington_Blue

ShedEnder91, I understand what you're saying about fight and passion but I disagree where Diego is concerned.  I don't see him showing passion for the club, I see him being a man that loves to try to hurt people by being dirty rather than being tough, I see a man that when he's there he wants to charge around 100 miles an hour leaving boots and elbows in on people, and I see a man that is "not there" far too often.

 

That's my take on it, I'm not trying to change your mind just offering a different perspective on it.

 

I totally understand that perspective. I just think the passion that he offers, as well as the quality of his play and his quite brilliant goalscoring record, is just about enough to offset that.

 

Let's not pretend we don't have a history of having players with an edge (which is my way of saying occasionally filthy) either. I was raised on stories of hardmen and Wisey was the first skipper I remember. 

 

Costa is a problem when he gets frustrated and on Saturday it wasn't just that the opposition winding him up that was the issue, it was the fact he was isolated up-front and had no real support from his teammates in anyway. Back in the day he'd have had JT or Lamps in his ear, and players actually getting forward to support him.

 

I don't really want to discard the one player who has actually made an effort in the last few months. I think we need to see what he's like under Conte and in a better team first.