Diego Costa Admits Replacing Luis Suarez as EPL 'Bad Guy,' Talks Gabriel, More

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has revealed he feels as though he’s taken over from former Liverpool forward Luis Suarez as the villain of the Premier League piece.

Speaking with Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard, the former Atletico Madrid man opened up about a host of topics, including his run-in with Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista and his own fitness.

But the Spanish international striker made a comparison between himself and Suarez, who left the Premier League to join Barcelona in the summer of 2014:

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I think Luis Suarez left this country because of how he was treated and made out to be the bad guy. Do I feel like I have taken his place? That is crystal clear. It is obvious that there are people after me. If you do something wrong and it makes the papers, then okay, that’s fair.

But when people are after you all of the time, when you’re always the headline that’s not fair. I hope they’re not after me. I hope it’s not the case. I hope it’s something that’s just in my head.

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Costa is a player who certainly relishes both physical and mental battles. Not only does he pin defenders, and rough them up with his upper-body strength, but he’s constantly getting in the ear of opponents too. Suarez was similar in that sense, but what shines through in both players is an insatiable appetite for winning games.

Former Chelsea player Jason Cundy compared Costa to Suarez earlier in the season, suggesting the majority of supporters would love both players in their team:

The two sides of Costa came to a head when Chelsea took on Arsenal earlier this season. It was a game when the forward was immersed in a physical battle with the two Gunners centre-backs, but he got under the skin of Gabriel, who appeared to lash out at the striker. He was subsequently given his marching orders, and the Blues went on to win 2-0.

Afterwards, Costa was hit with a three-match ban for his antics, while the Gunners defender had his rescinded. The forward insisted he could have behaved better on the day, but suggested he was not the only guilty party:

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The critics have to carry on what they do but they should always be truthful. If I do something wrong, I am the first one to accept the criticism, I have no problem with that. 

For example, my behaviour in the game against Arsenal [where he earned his ban for slapping Laurent Koscielny] was not the best, I know that. But it was not just me. There was someone else involved [Gabriel Paulista]. Many, many times I get kicked, I get elbowed—that’s part of football. It happens on the pitch but I never complain. 

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While Costa’s antics displease a lot of supporters of other teams, he is loved by the Stamford Bridge faithful, and Chelsea fans will be desperate to see the 27-year-old get back to sticking the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis again. After all, having notched 20 goals in the Premier League during his debut season, he’s on a meagre two this term.

Admittedly, Jose Mourinho’s team haven’t been at their most creative in recent weeks, struggling for form since the season kicked off. But Costa has insisted a flood of goals is just around the corner after some early-season niggles.

“Due to the injuries I have had, I was not at 100 per cent at the start,” he admitted. “I needed to work in the gym to become stronger. Now I am physically ready to play my game. I have not scored as many goals at this stage of the season as I did last year, but it is not something that worries me.”

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A goal against Aston Villa last time out in the league, accompanied by a well-rounded performance, suggests there is credence to Costa’s words. As is evident by these statistics from WhoScored.com, Chelsea certainly need a player to get on the scoresheet on a more regular basis:

Love him or hate him, a watered-down version of Costa would be nowhere near as entertaining to watch, nor as effective when leading the line. He may push the boundaries on occasion, but it’s engrossing to see how defenders deal with what is now a rare type of physical challenge in the modern game.

Goals will vindicate his decisions on the pitch, and at times this season, perhaps frustrated by injuries, Costa has seemed more intent on getting into tussles with opponents than sticking the ball in the back of the net.

All those associated with Chelsea will be encouraged that a balance between the two seems to have been festering again in recent weeks.