Martin Keown has warned Chelsea’s Premier League rivals that Diego Costa is close to being back to his best form this season.
The Spanish striker never seems to be far from the headlines as he gets used to life under new manager Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.
Costa scored both of Chelsea’s goals as the Blues came from behind to seal a 2-2 draw with Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium last weekend.
However, he was also booked in three of Chelsea’s first four Premier League games this season.
But former Arsenal defender Keown believes that the Spanish forward is getting back to his best and warned Premier League defenders about his threat.
Writing in his column for The Daily Mail before Chelsea’s clash with Liverpool on Friday night, Keown said: “Costa is in a rich vein of form this season and seems a lot more focused. He seems quicker, sharper.
“Antonio Conte has got the right balance with him.
“You have to get the bad and the ugly sides of Costa if you want the good. A couple of times this season he’s been lucky to stay on the pitch and you feel he has to be at a boiling point to get his best performances.
“There will be occasions where he gets sent off. He’s decided to run that risk so he can’t moan if he gets dismissed or retrospectively banned.”
Diego Costa’s goal-scoring renaissance under new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been a pivotal factor in the Blues’ unbeaten start to the season.
A brace against Swansea took his tally to four goals in four Premier League games, and Chelsea fans will be hoping the impressive statistics don’t stop there.
Since arriving at Stamford Bridge in July 2014, Costa has developed a reputation as an arch pantomime villain, attracting the ire of opposition fans, referees, and the FA — masking the 27-year-old’s standing as a truly world-class striker.
Costa was the player that former Blues manager Jose Mourinho identified as the missing link in his bid to win the Premier League two years ago. The £32 million fee was a comparatively modest amount to pay for a player whose 27 goals in 35 appearances in his final season with Atletico Madrid helped power the La Liga side to the title.
Costa was an immediate hit in England, pulverising defences with his swashbuckling, combative style of play — goals came easily as Chelsea raced away from the pack to win the league at a canter.
Costa’s theatrical confrontations with opponents who couldn’t handle him soon became the stuff of legend among Blues fans, and the goals kept coming.
A striker of Costa’s lethal capabilities means there will always be suitors hoping to turn the player’s head, but right now Conte has got his striker focussed on the matters at hand — rippling the opposition net.
Next up for Chelsea – who finished 10th last season in the Premier League – is a trip to London rivals Arsenal in the top flight on Saturday 24 September at Emirates Stadium.