How Chelsea Would Cope Without Injured Striker Diego Costa vs. Swansea City

Diego Costa's recent hamstring troubles say a lot about the progress made at Chelsea in recent times.

In fact, in a roundabout way, his injury concerns are a contradiction.

On one hand, Chelsea appear weakened should he miss out against Swansea City this weekend. On the other hand, without him, Jose Mourinho's side has enough talent these days not to feel the impact.

This time last season, an injury to any one of Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o or Demba Ba wouldn't have been a major concern.

The trio's output in terms of goals was such that Jose Mourinho's side rarely found their absence particularly overwhelming.

But if Eden Hazard or Oscar missed out, where would Chelsea's threat come from then?

Since Costa arrived from Atletico Madrid, however, injured strikers are the headline news.

The slightest hint of the Spaniard contracting some sort of ailment is considered a borderline disaster for some.

Costa is the leading goalscorer at Chelsea this season with four in three games, and it seems success is dependent on how fit he remains.

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Then again, Chelsea have Didier Drogba and Loic Remy as back-ups, so things aren't as drastic as they would seem.

Over the course of the season, Costa's presence will be essential, but for the odd spell here and there, Chelsea are well stocked to cope.

They will manage against Swansea.

Indeed, the arrival of Remy shortly before the transfer window closed is an exciting addition at Stamford Bridge.

His record in the Premier League has been impressive, and on the international stage with France just last week—coincidentally against Costa's Spain—his goal demonstrated a player who has the appetite to make the step up from a potential mid-table scrap to chasing the title and more.

It's not just about strikers at Chelsea, though.

Further back, Cesc Fabregas has arguably made a bigger impact than his compatriot Costa has this season.

Spare a thought for Torres, who must have been kicking himself when he watched from the stands as Chelsea defeated Everton 6-3 leading into the international break.

Scoring within the first minute, Costa's goal was vintage Torres, playing off the last man to beat the offside trap and fire home past the goalkeeper.

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In years gone by at Liverpool, it was the sort of goal we saw on a regular basis from Torres.

Now as he departs for AC Milan after three-and-a-half years at Chelsea, the Blues finally have the player capable of playing to his strengths, feeding balls forward from midfield to cut open the opposition.

The beneficiary of Fabregas' arrival isn't Torres, of course. Instead, it's Costa, who has made the most of Chelsea's exciting start to the campaign by finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

When Costa isn't playing, Drogba and Remy will be on hand to utilise Fabregas' influence from midfield.

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The ex-Arsenal and Barcelona man has been the missing component in that area, complementing the more physical talents of Nemanja Matic with his deft approach, controlling possession and games with it.

What we're seeing this season is a gradual development of Mourinho's Chelsea.

There will be times the manager adopts the lockdown tactics that have served him so well in the past, yet Chelsea are equally capable of playing on the front foot, taking the game to opponents and playing them off the park in the process.

It's happened against Burnley, Leicester City and—to a degree—Everton already. As the season develops, tougher opponents will be put before them, sure, but Chelsea have the look of a team near completion and ready.

Losing Costa will always be a thorn in the side, a problem that has to be dealt with.

Chelsea aren't about one man, though. Take him out and someone else will fill the void, the system will change, the tactics will evolve.

As talented a player he is, a travesty Costa's injury isn't.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes