Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has applauded star striker Diego Costa for being a ‘real warrior’ and curbing his habit of getting involved in off-the-ball incidents.
There’s no stopping Chelsea at the moment, as the Blues continue to fly high on top of the Premier League. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has singled out striker Diego Costa for praise for his warrior-like impact for the side this season.
Just when it seemed like the 3-0 loss at Arsenal had set Antonio Conte’s team on yet another downward spiral, Chelsea have turned things around with eight wins in a row since the start of October. Their latest win saw Chelsea comprehensively beat Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium and confirm their status as one of the favourites to win the Premier League come May 2017.
Spain international Diego Costa has been at the forefront of the Chelsea resurgence this season, charging to the top of the Premier League’s goalscoring charts, as well as contributing to his team’s attacking output with five assists. Costa has directly contributed to the most goals in the league and his impact for the club has drawn praise from the Chelsea faithful as well as manager Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Chelsea TV about Chelsea’s recent run of form, Conte reserved special praise for Costa’s reformed attitude of channeling his passion towards performance on the ball rather than off it. He said: “I think Diego is a real warrior and he is good for the team because it is important to have many warriors during the game because every game is a battle, a sporting battle.
“Diego is showing great patience and he can put this into the team in the best way. I think it is fantastic for him, for the team, for the club and for the fans. He is playing very well and we are working a lot to involve him in our play. He is improving a lot and Diego is showing the right part of him now.”
Costa has impressed Chelsea fans and neutrals alike with his discipline this season, having not missed a single game through suspension this season. In fact, he has gone nine matches without being booked now which is his longest run of games without getting a yellow card.
To everyone’s surprise, Costa ended up playing the peacemaker in the melee between the Chelsea and Manchester City players towards the end of the match last weekend. As Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion come visiting to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Conte will hope to see more of the same from his star striker.
