How Much Longer Will Jose Mourinho Stick with Diego Costa at Chelsea?

It’s not like Diego Costa to be passive aggressive. When he tossed a substitutes' bib up into the air—in the general direction of Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, in frustration at not being brought on against Spurs—it was hailed as a typical move by the striker. However, a typical move would have been much more bruising. He might have punched Mourinho, in that case.

Of course, such fire has always burned bright in the character of Costa. At his best he is irrepressible, hassling and harrying opponents into mistakes—giving Chelsea the presence needed to shunt them over the line as Premier League champions last season. 

Costa has long been a protagonist—at Chelsea last term, and at Atletico Madrid before that—but now the method to his madness is gone. He no longer seems concerned with his purpose as a centre-forward, and he is solely intent on sparking a brawl with pretty much every opponent that so much as glances in his general direction. Now he just wants to see the world burn, including his own club, seemingly.

It’s why Mourinho dropped the Spanish international for Sunday’s goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Costa simply isn’t contributing, and he must shoulder a significant share of the blame for Chelsea’s dramatic decline this season. By benching him for such a big game, Mourinho at least seems to recognise this.

Per Sam Cunningham of the Daily Mail, when asked about the incident with Costa at the weekend, Mourinho said: "If he wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib. I have a good relationship with him, no problem."

Not that the Brazilian-born striker stuck around to hear what his coach said to the assembled press, leaving the stadium and sitting on the bus by himself following the full-time whistle.

Mourinho added: “He was ready to play when he went to warm-up. When I decided not to play him, he went. And probably he is eating while waiting for us in the bus.”

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Indeed, Costa has become a toxic influence at Chelsea—prompting questions over his long-term future at Stamford Bridge. How much longer will Mourinho tolerate a goalscorer who seems unconcerned with the task of actually scoring goals, or even contributing to the team? If Mourinho wants a clear-out, as reported by Neil Custis of the Sun, Costa would surely be one of the first to go.

The narrative surrounding Costa last season was a very different one, with the Spanish international striker regarded as the final piece of Mourinho’s puzzle as he restored Chelsea as English football’s predominant force.

Bought from Atletico Madrid on the back of an astonishing La Liga triumph—and a run to the Champions League final—Costa was considered one of the most potent strikers in Europe. His signing was a coup.

What’s more, he appeared ideal for Mourinho, who can be quite the protagonist himself. Costa was the man to lead the Portuguese coach’s pressing style from the very front, just as he had done for Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

And initially, it worked as Chelsea strolled to their first league title in five years. The fuse in Costa is lit every time he steps on to a football pitch, but now he seems to have self-combusted.

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His benching at White Hart Lane had been a long time in coming, as confirmed by Mourinho himself who said Costa had been “privileged” not to be dropped earlier.

“Everyone else has been left out: the captain, John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, the vice-captain of England, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, Eden Hazard, the player of the season, and Oscar,” said the Chelsea manager, per Dominic Fifield of the Guardian. “Everyone was on the bench and Diego was privileged because I kept him in the team for all these matches.”

Mourinho is right to point out Costa’s poor performances—in fact, it’s one of the few coherent things the Chelsea boss has said all season.

The Spain international has scored just seven times since January, and he must take responsibility for the demise of Chelsea’s attacking front line as a whole. He’s the focal point, but with such a bomb-scare ahead of them, the likes of Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar and the rest are probably somewhat apprehensive about feeding the ball into Costa. 

And so Mourinho has sought other solutions. Loic Remy has been used as the central striker, with Hazard even playing as something of a false nine against Spurs on Sunday. The time has come for change at Stamford Bridge, and Mourinho is seeking to find it without Costa. That’s probably for the best.

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Naturally, if Costa finds his scoring touch once more, pretty much all will be forgotten. But strikers—perhaps more so than players of any other position—are often at the mercy of their mentality, with certain mindsets difficult to shake. Fernando Torres, Andriy Shevchenko and Radamel Falcao will all attest to that. Costa might suffer a similar fate. His current mental state could prove tough to dispel.

All the while, the January transfer window creeps ever closer and Mourinho might be tempted to cast off one of his biggest problems.

Atletico Madrid have yet to find a true replacement for Costa, despite throwing the best part of €50 million at both Mario Mandzukic and Jackson Martinez. They could perhaps be persuaded to take back the striker that took them to domestic and continental glory—as has been speculated at several points this season, per Bruce Archer of the Daily Express.

Other than a return to the Spanish capital, though, it’s difficult to envisage where Costa could end up were he to leave Chelsea. Mourinho might be stuck with him—and turning around his form could prove more challenging than that of the Blues’ as a whole. As things look right now, Costa is a bit of a lost cause.

But perhaps we shouldn’t so hastily forget the player Costa was last season. With the right tweaking and mental adjustment, he could be that player again. Although it seems less likely with every bib he hurls into the air.