Antonio Conte has heaped praise on to Chelsea star striker Diego Costa for dealing with his anger issues, calling the striker a “real warrior”. Costa has been known for his aggression on the pitch and has often been criticised for getting out of hand on several occasions. Last season, he endured a woeful campaign for the Blues and his frustration clearly affected his mentality and his behaviour on the pitch.
This season, though, Costa has learned how to channel his aggression in the right manner, and it has resulted in him finding the form that made him one of the most feared strikers in Europe just two seasons ago. He is already on 12 Premier League goals in 15 appearances so far – the same amount of goals he managed in the entirety of last season.
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More importantly, though, he has also not picked up a single yellow card in his last 10 appearances – his longest ever run without picking up a booking since the 2010-11 season. His last yellow card - against Arsenal on the 24th of September – was his fourth in the Premier League so far this season, leaving him just a single booking away from a fifth, which would lead to a one-game suspension.
However, the 28-year-old has managed to stay out of trouble since then and will be required to do so for the next 4 games in 2016 to avoid the suspension. His incredibly improved temperament has not gone unnoticed, and Blues boss Antonio Conte was quick to heap praise on his in-form striker.
“Diego is showing the right part of him, now,” Conte says. “I think Diego is a real warrior. He's good for the team because it's important to have many warriors during the game.
“Every game is a battle – a sporting battle – and it's important to have warriors in your side.
“Diego is showing his great passion, and that he can put his passion into the team in the best way.
“It's fantastic for him and for us, the team, the club and the fans. He's playing very well and we're working a lot to involve him in our play. He's improving a lot, Diego.”
Costa garnering praise from elsewhere as well
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp was also quick to sing the praises of Costa, comparing the hot-headed mess of last season to the cool and collected player of this season.
“What he's done this year, he is concentrating on playing football. He's still aggressive you can't take that out of his game,” said Redknapp.
“Last year he was more interested in having fights with people than playing football. Every time I saw him he was going out and it was all off-the-ball stuff. Really just aggravating - it got on my nerves just watching him play. This year he has been fantastic.”
