With 6 back to back victories, Antonio Conte Chelsea are currently at the top of the Premier League table with just a point and they will know that they need to extend that run if they are to stay at the top for another week. However, they will not find it easy to get all three points today as Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur travel to the Bridge in yet another London derby early this season. Though the likes of Eden Hazard and N Golo Kante have been exceptional for the Blues, one player that has made the season his so far is Spanish striker Diego Costa.
The 28-year old striker helped Chelsea to a league title a year ago with a superb debut the English league but he failed to keep up that form in the previous season under Mourinho and Guus Hiddink. However, under the new manager Antonio Conte, Costa seems to be back to his best and is currently the leading goal scorer in the league with 10 goals to his name from 12 games this season. He is an integral player for the Blues this season and he will have to play an important role against a side that is yet to be beaten in the domestic league this campaign.
The Spaniard showed what he is capable of in the previous round with a poacher’s finish against Middlesbrough to give his side all three points. He is one of the most prolific finishers in the league at the moment and is the best striker in form at the moment. He is a player who loves to frustrate the opponents and toy with them till he can get the better of them and though he may fail in a game or two, he makes sure that he makes an impact consistently enough for the Spurs to worry about him ahead of this game.
Spurs have the best defense in the league so far this season conceding just 8 goals in 12 games this season. They are a top class side that can beat the best teams in the country on their day but the biggest threat for them on this short trip to the Bridge is the Spanish striker who is odds on to score on the night.
Pochettino’s side defend ina compact fashion, not allowing their opponents any space or time on the ball. They love to hurry players into making mistakes and rely on their instinct to get the better of the opposition in the final third. Diego Costa will be marked closely by the likes of Victor Wanyama and Jan Vertonghen, two players he has already faced and he will have to make sure that he is at his best to give Chelsea a chance in this game.
Not too skilled or gifted, Costa is a genuine goal scorer who knows his way to goal and is a player most Premier League teams will want in their team. He does not humiliate defenders but frustrates and irritates them. He loves to play on the shoulder of the final defender be it Vertonghen or Dier on the night and will make sure that he has a say in every move that Chelsea put forth on the night. He is a genuine poacher who has just one thing in mind and though the Spurs have been compact, Costa can use it to his advantage, draw fouls and help his side.
Costa is not a player too many defenders would want to defend and it does not come as a surprise that he is the most important player for the side this season. The midfielders in the side have linked up well with him recently and if Chelsea can get out of the high press that Pochettino’s side use, and get enough service into Costa, there is hardly any doubt that he will breach the Tottenham defense on the night.
Spurs have not been behind on too many occasions this season and though came back from behind in the previous game, they will not be too comfortable chasing the game and if Costa can get an early goal, it might just help Chelsea pull the floodgates wide open.
Do you think Costa can breach Tottenham’s defense this weekend?