It’s About Time We Celebrated the Brilliance of Chelsea’s Diego Costa

VICARAGE ROAD, WATFORD — Two games into the new season and the stories are proving the same for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea. That’s back-to-back victories now, and they’ve both come about after Diego Costa scored late goals.

On Monday, it happened against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge; this time, a bit further north, Costa was up to his same tricks against Watford at Vicarage Road to secure another 2-1 victory.

“I prefer he scored [earlier than at] the end of the game,” laughed Conte in his post-match press conference. “[Costa’s] working very hard, like the other players. I think he can improve a lot with the work [we’re doing]. He’s an important player for us, and it’s important to stay always concentrated on the game and don’t think about the other situation.”

That other situation is the controversy that Costa courts. The fallout from Monday hasn’t been about his return to form and being the difference-maker at Chelsea; we’ve been listening to the analysis and reruns of his tackle on Hammers goalkeeper Adrian, instead.

Should Costa have even been on the pitch to score the winner after that tackle? Can anyone keep Costa under control? Is he right for the English game? Should Chelsea be offloading him? Should he be getting a retrospective suspension?

With a few clashes against Watford, similar questions will continue to rear their head. Conte was quizzed about Costa ahead of this game, and the focus will not go away throughout the season on this evidence.

For all his faults in challenging the perceived treatment of his players, Jose Mourinho had identified the problem well regarding Costa during his time as Chelsea manager. Labelling his misdemeanours as “Costa Crimes” after an unfortunate Sky Sports headline, the manager’s message was forgotten among the hyperbole he created. The sentiment was that there is an unhealthy fascination with Costa’s behaviour.

Diego Costa puts Chelsea in front, celebrating wildly by stomping on a defenceless kitten.

— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 20, 2016

The focus on Costa is unparalleled in the Premier League. Since the departure of Luis Suarez, English football has been gifted the ideal outlaw in his absence, and the focus has become unrelenting. For every blade of grass Costa touches, the slow-motion replays aren’t too far behind.

Forget …

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