Last season’s abysmal display by The Blues that saw them finish tenth helped fuel rumours of their top striker, Diego Costa wanting out. Luckily for Chelsea, Conte’s appointment bought enough time to convince the 28-year old that he could have his entire dream come through right there at the Stamford Bridge.
The first half of the season saw Chelsea run rampant, winning 11 games on the bounce and opening a huge gap between them and the rest of the league. Costa was at the heart of such run of form, discovering the scoring instincts that went blunt last season. The Spaniard scored 20 goals in the Premier League by January and even if that might look meagre by his standards, he very much made up for what he lack in goals by being at his nuisance best, tirelessly provoking opposition defenders in a bid to get them walked up and bag a red card. Continue reading
