Spain Need to Find a Way to Incorporate Diego Costa, and Fast

Diego Costa started up front for Spain against France and looked a shadow of the player we have seen in the Premier League this season and last season in La Liga, where he tore defences to pieces, scoring fewer than only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

But at the World Cup for Spain he was a pale imitation of the Costa we know and love (or love to hate), which was attributed to injury.

Costa finished the season with Atletico Madrid being substituted early in key games, the Liga finale against Barcelona and the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

So when he offered little against the Netherlands and Chile in Brazil, nobody blamed him for not turning up.

He has scored four goals in his first three Chelsea games, with good displays against Burnley and Leicester being trumped by his tour de force against Everton, notching twice and pulling their defence to pieces.

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But in the 1-0 defeat by France on Thursday night, Costa was back to the player we saw in the summer, Spain not registering a single shot on target.

There are various possible reasons for this, depending on how much credit you want to give the striker.

The first is that he simply doesn't feel the same passion for the national team as he does for his club.

Costa was a Brazilian international, having played in two friendlies for them, before he converted to Spanish nationality. Perhaps playing for a club badge means more to him.

However, that reason isn't the most likely because he's already running berserk for Chelsea, a team he can hardly profess to love yet.

Perhaps he feels as if he should restrain himself in a La Roja shirt, perhaps the international stage tempers his natural aggression.

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

Certainly he seems less abrasive, although he got into a minor tussle with Arsenal and France right-back Mathieu Debuchy early on.

But the most likely reason is that he doesn't suit Spain's style of play, or rather Spain's style of play doesn't suit him.

That's even taking into account the support role played by Raul Garcia and Cesc Fabregas playing how he does for Chelsea, feeding balls through to Costa.

But unlike Chelsea, Spain are patient and methodical in possession, sometimes to their detriment, lacking the explosive counter-attacking thrust that Jose Mourinho likes his teams to play with.

Furthermore, the Spain team picked by Vicente del Bosque to face France featured several new faces, all of whom are finding their feet at this level.

Dani Carvajal, at right-back, impressed, but Raul Garcia wasn't at his best. When Costa is still trying to bed in himself, having confusion ensue behind him isn't the most constructive.

Costa is still the best forward eligible to play for Spain, so a solution needs to be found for him.

Sang Tan/Associated Press

With Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernandez retired, and another Atletico star (Koke) likely to inherit one of the midfield berths, maybe the best tactic for Spain is to combine the Barcelona-style passing play with Atletico's hard edge.

A midfield of Busquets, Koke and Fabregas behind a front line of Iniesta, Costa and Silva would, given time, flourish.

Iniesta was unavailable for the France game because of a knee injury, but the other players all featured.

The sooner Del Bosque settles on a tactic and sticks with it, instead of chopping and changing, the better.