Diego Costa of Chelsea is incredible

 

Espresso yourself: Costa left Swansea bamboozled with his hat-trick

The list of those who have failed the task goes on and on.
Mateja Kezman, Hernan Crespo, Andriy Shevchenko, Claudio Pizarro, Nicolas Anelka, Demba Ba, Samuel Eto’o and, of course, Fernando Torres.
For a decade, only one, Didier Drogba, could cope with the demands.
But now, it seems, Jose Mourinho has found the man who is not bothered about the expectation. The man who just goes out and scores.
Seven goals in four appearances ­represents an astonishing start to Chelsea life for Diego Costa, whose destruction of Swansea on Saturday demonstrated why Mourinho labelled him, for different reasons, unstoppable.
For the striker himself, though, the reason for his success at the Blues is obvious. He is not scared of what it means.
“It is different for every striker who comes here,’’ said Costa, reflecting on his lightning start, compared to so many of his predecessors in the Roman Abramovich era.
“Every striker has their way of playing and their strengths and a different team behind them. That is very important. If you do not have the team behind you then you can’t do things on your own. It all depends on the team. It could be because of that.
“I try to play in the best manner, and ­hopefully things will continue like this. But there will be a moment when I cannot score - that is football.’’


Maybe a fallow period will come. The odds - and Mourinho himself - suggest it is inevitable, but in the £32million signing from Atletico Madrid, Mourinho has found the talisman of his new side.
The Special One nodded, smiling, at the suggestion that Costa’s mentality was
not that of the normal modern player.
The Blues' boss, who tore into his players at half-time just after Costa's stoppage time equaliser, said: “The most important thing of a player’s character is what effects his performance as a player.
“Diego was a risk and a doubt before Everton, a risk and a doubt before the Spain game, a risk and a doubt before this game [all because of a hamstring problem]. He played all three and he is a risk and a doubt again for Wednesday against Schalke because of an accumulation of matches. But nobody can stop him.

 

Mr August: Costa won the season's first Premier League Player of the Month award

 “I tried, I tried to be sure. I wanted to be 100 per cent sure, but he goes on to the pitch. He is a fantastic character and if he feels he can play, he plays.
“It is not about the modern player, it is about the modern society, where people tell them to be selfish, in the sense of themselves first and the team second. But with Diego it is, ‘The team first - they need me - and me second. I am ready to go for the team’.
“When you get guys with this mentality they become special and they can be an influence to the people around them. He is a leader, who knows exactly what the team needs and is ready to give it.’’
Costa has already given Chelsea a new dynamic, the cutting edge they
missed last season and badly needed as the impressive Swans deserved their early lead through John Terry’s own goal.
But the Spain striker levelled, then added two more ­instinctive strikes before his replacement, Loic Remy, came on to open his Blues account, victory sealed before Jonjo Shelvey pulled one back.

Costa added, in a subdued manner which ran counter to his playing style: “Scoring goals is scoring goals. From a ­striker’s point of view, the aim is the same.
“There are ­differences, but I am adapting very well, although it’s not just me. The key is the group that we have. It is like a family. The squad and all  the people around the team are united in our cause.’’
Costa was part of a similar unit under Diego Simeone last term, although he insisted: “We can make comparisons at the end of the season, not now. At Atletico we had an incredible season. Hopefully, we can do the same here.’’
Mourinho, too, counselled caution. He added: “We knew clearly the ­direction we wanted to go and we got a couple of players in this summer, so we made the squad stronger.
“But it is only four matches. Not 14, not 24, not 34.’’
A pretty impressive four matches, mind. And with a stunningly ­impressive strike leader.
One who is shouldering the burden as if it doesn’t exist.