Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was full of praise for striker Diego Costa following his heroics against Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday.
On Saturday, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed that striker Diego Costa has probably been the best player in the Premier League so far this season.
Speaking after the Blues’ thrilling 6-3 victory over Everton at Goodison Park, the Portuguese said: “At the end of the story, Diego is maybe the best player in the Premier League in the first three matches and he has two yellow cards – one against Burnley where he didn’t simulate, it was a penalty, and one against Everton, when everyone was chasing him to get him in trouble’.
Mourinho was defending Costa’s record of getting booked twice in three league appearance and his controversial behaviour against the Toffees (click here to read more), but his comments about the £32m summer signing being the best player in the English top flight at the moment does have merit.
Costa’s disappointing performance for Spain at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil raised concerns that he is a ‘one-season wonder’, but the former Atletico Madrid star has already made his detractors eat their words.
| Goals | Goal Assist | Total Att Assist | Ontarget Scoring Att | Big Chance Scored | Big Chance Missed | Total Tackle | Won Tackle | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Costa | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 260 |
Four goals in three matches are indeed a great return, but what jumps out is the number of tackles he has won: four out of four. For a lone striker upfront, that is a great stat, and something that Chelsea have benefitted from.
While Costa has been the standout player for Chelsea with his goals and strike-rate, the significance of his Spain international teammate Cesc Fabregas cannot be undermined.
The former Arsenal captain has eased back into life in the Premier League without any problems whatsoever and has been superb for Chelsea.
| Goal Assist | Total Att Assist | Ontarget Scoring Att | Big Chance Scored | Total Tackle | Won Tackle | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cesc Fàbregas | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 269 |
Of course, these are early days and things could still go south for the Blues, but given how Costa and Fabregas have started the new season, Chelsea fans have all the reasons in the world to feel confident of a Premier League title triumph in 2014-15.
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