Why Chelsea Training Ground Incident Between Oscar, Diego Costa Is No Big Deal

Don't read too much into the reports that emerged from Chelsea's training ground on Thursday. Though Oscar and Diego Costa were allegedly involved in a bust-up, the incident appears minor and is probably a natural result of the new manager's training style.

If you haven't seen the reports, you might not be shocked to learn Costa was involved. Considering his reputation on the pitch during competitive matches, it's probably no surprise that the striker's temper would flare in training as well. 

As the Blues were preparing for Sunday's third-round FA Cup tie at home to Scunthorpe United, Oscar and Diego Costa nearly came to blows following a hard challenge by the latter, according to widespread reports. David Hytner at the Guardian reported details from the incident:

"

Costa had gone in hard on Oscar with a tackle and the midfielder responded with an extremely heavy one of his own that caused the pair to square up.

The session was highly charged, as the squad prepared for Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie at home to Scunthorpe United and, briefly, it looked as though Costa and Oscar were ready to trade punches. But the swift intervention of team-mates who were close to the flashpoint stopped things from escalating.

"

Hytner's report also included reaction from interim manager Guus Hiddink, whom Hytner described as "laid-back about the incident." For his part, Oscar responded to the reports with a tweet from his personal account, saying: "Those who are saying me and Diego Costa fought today in training are lying, he's one of my best friends and we would never fight" (h/t ESPN FC for the translation from Portuguese).

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

So what should we make of all this? Probably not too much.

Incidents like this happen frequently in training, especially in situations where the air is charged. In Chelsea's case, we can take this one of two ways. Either the players are harboring some bad feelings from their poor start to the season and life under Jose Mourinho, or training sessions under Hiddink have taken on an intense tone.

If it's the latter, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Fellipe Miranda wrote at We Ain't Got No History:

"

Despite our recent results under Guus Hiddink's leadership, Chelsea's 2015-16 season hasn't been 'salvaged' yet and it's almost certain that the players are under high pressure, which is something bound to ignite stressful episodes like this one. Either way, if they manage to focus these training efforts into performances on the pitch for the remainder of the season, we shouldn't worry too much about our chances in the the FA Cup and in the Champions League.

"

It's also worth pointing out an editor's note from that piece. The note argued that Hiddink's training methods tend toward the "game-situation" style, which raises tensions in a non-match situation. The bust-up wasn't necessarily by design, but it was probably a natural by-product of Hiddink's style.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

All of which is to say this: Don't worry too much about these reports if you're a Chelsea fan. Sure, it's concerning when two team-mates go after each other, rather than the opposition. And it's easy to see Costa mixing it up in training, since this is precisely the sort of thing he's known for in matches.

But incidents like this happen in every club's training sessions, probably more often than we know. If Chelsea weren't enduring such a difficult season, we might not even have heard about this one. The best-case scenario is that, following this bust-up, the Blues take the aggression shown on the training ground and translate it onto the pitch in competitive matches.

Every indication is that the players have smoothed things over. Unless something else (that is worse) happens, it's best to assume this was an isolated incident that's now firmly in the past.