Diego Costa is often the pantomime villain. It is fair to say that he plays on the edge. And the very best players often do, one moment away from a flash of brilliance or a moment of madness.
Diego Costa was always going to be the perfect striker for the Premier League though. It is a notoriously difficult league for strikers, especially when they are playing up front on their own. A unique mix of strength and skill is required, and Diego Costa has both in abundance.
But it is this controversy that often surrounds him that really detracts from people’s opinions of how good he actually is. And there have been so many incidents now that you lose count. But Costa thrives on this, and it gives him an edge. He turns his battle with defenders into a fight, he makes them angry and it takes their minds off of their game. This allows him to gain an advantage. Fair? Possibly not. Effective, yes. As a result, it also affects the opinions of fans. When they see him elbowing, punching, spitting and tackling recklessly, they are unlikely to hold him in very high regard.
It has perhaps never been summed up better than when Spanish Football expert Sid Lowe said:
“Diego Costa says that he never takes his work home with him. Which is probably a good thing. If he did, the Atlético Madrid striker might walk through the door, goad the dog with a stick, surreptitiously elbow his wife out of the way on the stairs, shrug his shoulders innocently as she lay in a crumpled heap at the bottom and whisper insults to his children, look the other way and whistle when they burst into tears. He might stroll into the living room and dramatically collapse on the floor, roll around the rug holding his head and appeal for a penalty. He might even get it too.”
40 – Diego Costa has scored his 40th Premier League goal in his 64th appearance; seven games faster than it took Sergio Aguero. Lethal.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 30, 2016
If you asked most fans who the best forward player in the league is, many would say Aguero. The Argentinian sniper is purely lethal. He is definitely one of the very best. And although fans may not like the fact he scores against them, there is a respect of his abilities.
But is he actually the best striker?
Diego Costa has so far scored 40 Premier League goals, and it has taken him just 64 appearances to reach that target. And that’s obviously including last season when the Spanish International was playing in a dreadful Chelsea team. That is just 7 games faster than it took Aguero to reach that target. Additionally, it included last season when the whole Chelsea team were off form and that affected his numbers dramatically. This gives him a goal every 1.6 matches.
However, Aguero has scored 57 goals in his last 71 PL appearances which gives him a goal every 1.2 matches, which is quite an astonishing tally.
Which I guess answers the question for now. But with the rate both players are scoring this season, it’s going to be a very closely run competition.