Diego Costa Mustn't Lose the Volatility That Makes Him Great

Diego Costa is a player who runs on chaos. It is the lifeblood with which he's become the Premier League’s best marksman this season and the player who defines Chelsea’s title charge.

Even with his scant grasp of the English language, the Brazilian-born striker has sparked an argument with pretty much every opponent he has come up against this term. It’s a trait that doesn’t just characterise him as a person, but as a player too. It’s what makes him great.

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Costa is the battering ram of a striker Jose Mourinho spent nearly a year looking for following his return to Stamford Bridge. His performances for Atletico Madrid last season, driving Diego Simeone’s unfancied side to the Spanish Liga title and the Champions League final, made him the obvious signing for Chelsea in the summer.

He is the hub of energy and razor-sharp cutting edge that the Blues desperately lacked as they fell short of the title last season. But while he is most likely Chelsea’s best player, his temperament is perhaps where their one weakness can be found.

Sunderland recognised this on Saturday, with a number of players in red and white winding up Costa and luring him into a reaction. It was a tactic that nearly worked, with the Spanish international somewhat fortunate to avoid a second yellow card.

While it might not be an especially dignified strategy, if opposition teams can eliminate Costa—Chelsea’s most potent player—from the equation, they will attempt to do that. It’s something that the striker must grow wary of. 

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And yet Costa without that spark of unpredictability wouldn’t be Costa at all. Mourinho might be tempted to demand the leader of his front line curb the impetuous side of his character, but by doing so he could lose the player he paid £32 million for in the summer.

If there is a player who can be compared to Costa in nature, it is Wayne Rooney. Not the Rooney we currently see playing for Manchester United, but the Rooney who first burst on to the scene as a tempestuous yet equally brilliant teenager.

Opponents used to wind up Rooney in the same way that Costa now faces in the Premier League. Look at the way Cristiano Ronaldo goaded the England striker into a red card at the 2006 World Cup. That is the sort of attention Costa must now expect in the Premier League.

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But with the moments of petulance also came instances of wonder. Take Rooney’s stunning volleyed goal against Newcastle in 2005 for example. Just seconds before the Man Utd striker lashed a strike home from 30 yards he had been waging a running battle with the referee.

Rooney, just like Costa, ran on an innate anger and volatility. Perhaps through public clamour for him to mature, Rooney lost that fire. Costa must ensure that he doesn’t suffer the same fate.

Of course, the attention Costa will face in England is nothing new for the former Atletico man. He was a target for La Liga defenders, just as he is in the Premier League, and yet he largely managed to avoid suspension as his side chased a first league title in nearly 20 years.

In fact Costa hasn't seen red in nearly three years. However, the feeling that he could combust at any point underlines his game. It’s both what makes him great and vulnerable at the same time.

A glimpse into what threat Chelsea will carry without Costa will be offered against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, when the striker will be suspended for the Blues’ clash against their London rivals.

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“We trust (Loic) Remy and (Didier) Drogba the same way we trust Diego. This is not our way of work,” insisted Mourinho ahead of the game against Spurs, as per Sky Sports. “So forget Diego. We trust the other two and we go with the other two.”

It’s not just red cards that Costa must do his best to avoid, but yellows too. He already has five to his name for this season, resulting in his suspension for the game against Spurs. It’s a tally that could do with stunting. 

Chelsea have dealt well without Costa whenever he has been missing from the lineup this season (the Spanish international has already missed five games through injury), but Mourinho cannot afford his absence to become a frequent occurrence.

While Costa must refrain from overstepping the mark for the benefit of his Chelsea team, he cannot lose the spark that makes him the player he is. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but it's one that he must find as a man with so much responsibility this season.