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Costa is vital to Conte’s Chelsea success

By Tyler Strauss

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Diego Costa of Chelsea snarls as he looks towards Paris Saint-Germain fans during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge on March 09, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Diego Costa of Chelsea snarls as he looks towards Paris Saint-Germain fans during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge on March 09, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) /
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Diego Costa should not be sold this summer. He should be a key player in Conte’s regime.

In the beginning of the week, Chelsea confirmed their appointment of Antonio Conte as head coach of the Blues. This puts an end to all of the controversy surrounding the hot seat in Stamford Bridge.

Now the rebuilding process can begin.

Conte is widely recognized as a winner. He’s bold, ruthless, and demands loyalty from his squad. While he barks instructions inside the locker room and on the touchlines, he’ll need soldiers on the pitch to carry out his message.

10 years ago, John Terry would have been the man to carry the torch. The Englishman could not be a better choice to fulfill the leadership role that the former Juventus man craves.

However, at 35, coupled with his contract disputes, there’s no guarantee of how many matches Terry will see, if any at all. As a result, Conte will have to look elsewhere for his leader. 

Conte needn’t look any further than Diego Costa.

At first glance, it seems a mistake. The rumors that the Spaniard will depart Stamford Bridge this summer won’t do this concept any favors.

However, if there was ever a soldier ready for battle in Chelsea’s squad, it’s Costa. He plays on the edge. And there isn’t much he won’t do in order to achieve a result. 

I’m not saying he should be captain. He shouldn’t be.

He doesn’t have the instinct to calm a situation down like a captain must. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be a leader and it doesn’t mean he can’t lead the line in West London. 

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    • Playing on the edge in the way Costa does can have its problems. These are depicted by the three game ban that he’s currently serving for his reaction against Everton in the FA Cup.

    However, what people don’t discuss enough are the positive effects. The ability to put winning above all else is not a character fault, it’s a gift. Not many players have the capacity to do so.

    Costa has this ability. He can put aside all sorts of morals, logic and common tendencies, and focuses on scoring goals. He’s clearly illustrated this desire in the past few months, seemingly scoring goals for fun in a Blue jersey.

    Conte needs this sort of player in his squad. It’s the hunger that he craves.

    Therefore, the potential relationship between the two could be a deadly partnership in West London, if procured correctly.

    The Italian manager must have the player’s back. Always.

    That’s where Mourinho went wrong with Costa. While he loved the hunger that the Spaniard deployed, he only publicly supported it when it was leading to goals.

    What Conte must do is support it outright. Regardless of its success at the current pasture.

    The English media has had a field day with Costa since his move to Chelsea. It seems there’s nothing they enjoy more than making a meal of Costa’s antics, calling into question his character and his morals. 

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    As a player, there is only so much that Costa can do to stand up for himself. This is where his manager comes in.

    Guus Hiddink has clearly picked up on this concept and the overall result has been obvious. The Dutchman has the Spanish talisman back into form, due to the support he’s shown.

    Conte must replicate that attitude and add fuel to the fire. Costa needs to know that it’s not only okay to play the way he does, but that it’s encouraged.

    There needs to be a tight bond between the pair. The relationship needs to survive public controversy.

    If it does, the sky’s the limit for Conte at Chelsea. Costa will drive Chelsea forward, utilizing his hunger for goal and for victory to motivate his teammates.

    He’ll get on the backs of his teammates, pushing them to do better.

    Chelsea have lacked that sort of hunger in a leader this season. With John Terry often on the training table, the Blues have been missing that sort of leadership in the team.

    Conte will need to replace Terry’s position as captain. He’ll need someone who can motivate, but also one who can prove to be composed. This isn’t Costa.

    But when it comes to finding a leader that replicates Conte’s hunger to win games, he shouldn’t look further than Costa. 

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    Conte can bang the drum from the sideline and Costa is the man to march to the beat.

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