Three Reasons Why This £32m Chelsea Star Is Better Than The Premier League Winner

Not too long ago Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero were playing for the same side. While Aguero had already established himself as Atletico Madrid’s first-choice striker, Costa, who was just one year his junior, still struggling to get into the club’s first team. But in the space of a few years, the fortunes of both players have changed dramatically.

While Aguero went to Manchester City and was helping them claim their first Premier League title, Costa was climbing up the ladder and busy establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. After a hugely successful season that saw him score more than 30 goals for Atletico, Costa moved to Chelsea this summer and has merely continued on from where he left off.

Costa and Aguero faced each other just a week ago as the leaders of their respective club’s attack when Chelsea went to Manchester City. Although neither player had a particularly noteworthy game, it certainly sparked the debate of who was the better striker. Was it the 26-year-old Argentinean who has helped City to two League titles in three years? Or is it the Spaniard who has taken the Premier League by storm? Here are three reasons why I think that Costa is better than Aguero.

More of an all-round attacking threat

If there is one striking similarity between both Aguero and Costa, it is their ability in front of goal. Given Costa’s start to the season and performances over the last 18 months, it is fair to say that in Costa and Aguero, you have two of the Premier League’s most clinical marksmen. Although that is the case, Costa is much more of an all-round threat when compared to the Argentinean striker. Not only can he score with either feet, he is also really good in the air and is very good at bringing his teammates into the game.

For all of Aguero’s prowess in front of goal, he is often predictable in that almost all of his goals are scored with his feet. The 26-year-old doesn’t offer an physical presence up front and isn’t particularly good on his own up front and can often be outmuscled off the ball. But Costa is a one-man battering ram who is a constant menace for the defense both in the air and on the ground. Costa’s style of play is one that involves plenty of power, pace and penetration and he is someone who can not only score goals but create for his teammates as well.

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Costa is more involved in the game

The 25-year-old Spaniard is much more involved in the game than Sergio Aguero is. Although both of them are excellent finishers and are renowned for their goal scoring prowess, when it comes to helping out their team, there is only one winner. Although Costa plays primarily as a central striker, he is more than happy to run the channels and hold the ball up and get his team mates into action.

Costa is excellent in helping his defense out especially in set-piece situations and has already made quite a few crucial defensive headers. Although Aguero has shown that he can create goals out of nowhere, there are spells during games, sometimes even entire games, when the Argentinean striker barely has a sniff of the ball. But that is something that Costa can never be guilty of as he always hassles and harries the defenders into making mistakes and reclaiming possession. And one of the Spaniard’s biggest strengths is his never-say-die attitude and relentlessly pressing.

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He is not yet in his prime

As silly as it might sound, Diego Costa might yet prove to be the bargain of the summer. Not only does he provide Chelsea with a presence up front that the club lacked in the last few years, but it also means that the club have a striker who is still to reach his peak. Although he is 25, the 2013/14 campaign was his first full season as his club’s first-choice striker.

His seven goals in his opening four Premier League games has shown just how good lethal he can be in front of goal. Another thing that tips the bar firmly in his favor is Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager is arguably the perfect manager to get the best out of Costa, given his penchant for getting the best out of powerful, physical strikers, with Didier Drogba being the best example. Under the tutelage of Mourinho, Costa will only get better and go onto become the most-feared striker in not just England but Europe as well.