Breaking Down the Diego Costa vs. Harry Kane Striker Battle

Of all the battles and sub-plots we're expecting at Stamford Bridge on Monday, the most intriguing will be between front pair Diego Costa and Harry Kane.

It's where the game will be won and lost. If Chelsea's Costa produces the sort of performance that has defined his post-Christmas form, then Chelsea will be difficult to contain. Equally, should Kane maintain the form that has propelled Tottenham Hotspur into a title fight with Leicester City, then Spurs will take some beating themselves.

So how do Costa and Kane compare? Bleacher Report takes a closer look.

Style

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Whereas Kane has quickly become the poster boy of English football, Costa is very much at the other end of the spectrum. The Chelsea man has a reputation for playing on the edge of controversy and the laws of the game, which often brings the best out of him. He thrives on the challenge of it all.

Too often in the early part of this season, Costa allowed himself to play beyond those boundaries and it severely impacted his form. He looked lost at times, seemingly more focused on causing a ruckus with defenders than he was scoring goals. That he only found the back of the net four times in all competitions ahead of the Christmas period outlines how ineffective he was.

Costa's rediscovered his scoring touch by getting back to what he does best, which is bullying defenders within the laws of the game. He's back to being the intelligent player we saw last year when Chelsea romped home to the title, using his physicality to bulldoze his way through at times.

There's more to his game than that, however. Costa doesn't get enough credit for his ability as a footballer. His movement off the ball is excellent not only to create options for Cesc Fabregas from deep, but he also creates space for those around him. He's an expert playing off the last defender, exposing a high defensive line.

Kane has some of those same attributes that Costa brings to Chelsea, notably his efficiency in front of goal. The Englishman has proven himself to be much more than a one-season wonder, scoring 27 goals in all competitions.

What impresses about that statistic is that Kane isn't a poacher in any sense. He's a team player, often dropping deep and into wide areas to link up play before working tirelessly to get himself into dangerous positions to finish off attacking moves.

Squawka

Kane's heat map from the recent 4-0 win against Stoke City is a case in point. The Spurs No. 10 scored twice at the Britannia Stadium, yet he was most effective playing outside of the box, where he inflicted damage. When we think of prolific scorers from past Premier League seasons such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, it was often the opposite that saw them successful.

Kane is dynamic and a real threat regardless of whether he's in possession or not. He has that same sort of intelligence that Costa displays, utilising his instinct to spot danger and knowing how to capitalise on it.

Goal threat

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We've already touched on Kane's return in front of goal this season. His 27 goals in 47 appearances is better than a goal every other game (0.57).

Indeed, if we compare it to last season's average, it's at a similar level. In 51 games last year, Kane scored an average of 0.60 goals per game for Spurs. That he's no longer an unknown quantity and is playing with the pressure that comes with being a rising star in the Premier League, it's impressive he's been close to maintaining it.

Costa fell off a cliff in the first half of this season. Whereas he was one of the Premier League's most potent front men in 2014/15, registering 20 goals, his return of four pre-Christmas this time out outlined just how bad Chelsea's season was.

If the league position told us plenty about the squad as a whole, Costa's stats were confirmation of his own struggles. By getting him back to playing through the middle and being an outlet again, Guus Hiddink has helped restore Costa as a goal threat.

In fact, his stats in 2016 are all but the same from when we saw Costa at his best last term. He averaged 0.54 goals in all competitions for Chelsea across 2014/15 and, since the turn of the year, has hit 0.53.

It shows how the Spain international has transformed the campaign on a personal level, which has contributed to Chelsea's climb back up the table. Had it not been for the team's shortcomings elsewhere, we could be talking about them in terms of European qualification.

Value to the team

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As strikers, it's the duty of Costa and Kane to be scoring the goals that win their respective teams matches. They've delivered in that regard, albeit on different levels.

Both are the leading goalscorers for Chelsea and Spurs, although Kane's form across the whole of the season has remained high, whereas Costa has only recently got back to what we expect from him.

That said, when a team has struggled in the way Chelsea have this year, it's difficult to expect the striker to be pulling them out of every hole, especially when the service into him isn't what it should be.

That's where Kane has benefited significantly. Throughout Mauricio Pochettino's side, there have been match winners every week; players sharing the burden and also playing to Kane's strengths.

Kane's return in front of goal (27) has been superior to Costa's (15), yet when we look at the points won, it's the Chelsea man who comes out on top.

Kane's goals have been directly responsible for winning Spurs seven points in the Premier League this year (where a Kane goal decided the outcome of the result), while Costa has racked up an impressive 11 for Chelsea.

Breaking it down into what it means for the tally of each club, Kane's points have contributed to 10 per cent of Spurs'. Costa, meanwhile, has been directly responsible for close to a quarter (23 per cent) of Chelsea's.

We shouldn't get too carried away with that stat as Chelsea's lower points haul will always give Costa an advantage in the percentage stakes. Had Chelsea performed anywhere near what they should have, Costa's direct contribution would have been lower.

That said, the fact he has won those 11 points shows Chelsea rely on him more than Spurs do Kane. In many ways, it outlines how the season has gone for both clubs: Whereas Chelsea have relied on individuals at times, it's been the team ethic that has got Spurs to where they are.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes