What's the story?
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has publicly admitted to having a row with his talismanic striker, Diego Costa, for the first time. Speaking about the situation in an interview with Sky Italia, the former Juventus coach said, “I was clear with him. I raised my voice and the player understood.” But he was quick to add, “Now everything is perfect.”
Further referring to his belief in his methods, Conte said, “I am not a coach who compromises and with my blind faith in the work we’re doing, and in my ideas. I have been able to forge straight ahead without worrying about anyone else.”
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Diego Costa was left out of the squad to face Leicester City last month with rumours of a training ground spat between him and the manager swiftly making the rounds. When questioned by reporters, Conte had attributed the omission to fitness reasons citing Costa’s back problems as the issue.
Chelsea had no problems cruising to a win – like most teams against Leicester this season – with a brace from Marcos Alonso followed by a goal from Pedro. However, Costa was back in the starting line-up for their very next game against Hull, and opened the scoring before celebrating with a gesture that suggested he was sick of all the rumours swirling around.
The heart of the matter
The cause of the spat was rumoured to be Costa’s involvement in talks over a big-money move to Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian, who were whispering in the Spaniard’s ears through his agent. With the dizzying salaries being paid out to some of the famous faces in the Chinese Super League – including Oscar, who made the switch from Chelsea last month – Costa was said to be distracted during training.
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This lack of commitment did not sit well with Conte whose own passion for the game is clear to see from his actions on the touchline virtually every game. It is no wonder then that he had to make his message clear to his star striker.
What’s next?
Costa’s future at the club is still uncertain, and in spite of him being their top scorer this season, Conte is looking to add to the resources at his disposal in the summer transfer window. Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata, who had a successful spell at Juventus, is said to be a prime target for Chelsea.
Sportskeeda’s take
Whatever Conte’s methods may be, they have certainly brought him success as evidenced by his three successive Serie A titles. With players’ demands increasing by the day, and money sometimes becoming bigger than the game itself, it’s wonderful to see a coach with the passion for the game that Conte demonstrates.
If it took a raised voice to get rid of the whispers in Costa’s ears, so be it. Chelsea and the Premier League are certainly better off for it.