Conte sees himself in fiery Costa
The Premier League rumour mill insisted Diego Costa was desperate for a way out of Stamford Bridge this summer, but new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte reckons he and the 27-year-old are like two peas in a pod.
Spain’s Costa will lead the Blues’ front line again at least at the beginning of the season, with Chelsea running out of time to sign £60m target Romelu Lukaku from Everton.
Costa made more headlines for getting up his opponents noses last term than for scoring, with his return of 12 league goals relatively modest compared to the 20 he netted in Chelsea’s title-winning campaign the year before, and the 27 he scored in his final season in Spain.
But Conte insists he is a fan of Costa’s aggression and is urging the hitman not to tone himself down when he pulls on the Chelsea jersey.
“I like the spirit of Diego Costa because he always shows great passion,” he said.
“Me, I am the same, I have great passion for football. He doesn’t want to lose and I like this passion and want this passion in the team.
“It’s important to have passion for your work, for football, and that passion helps you to get over difficulties.
“I like that he has passion, I like that he has commitment, I like that he works for the team. I ask for this and I demand this from him.
“I ask not just him, but all the players, for the right attitude, the right behaviour, the right commitment. It’s important that when we play, the players play our football.”
Costa will have to compete for his place with £33m signing Michy Batshuayi this year, and despite knowing he has to dramatically improve if he is going to become a 30-goal-a-season player, Conte insists the Spaniard’s lethal finishing makes him a special talent.
He added: “For me he is an important player and he played a fantastic season two years ago when Chelsea won the title.
“Diego Costa is a great player and I know that he is fantastic finisher, but I think that Diego can still improve a lot.
“I try to improve all my players – it’s not important for me if they are the best players or the young players – and now I’m seeing a good attitude from Diego to work to improve in different situations.
“Diego can give a lot to this team and I’m sure that he will have a good season.”
