Why Diego Costa Will Be the X-Factor in Chelsea's Remaining Months of 2015/16
It's only by scoring goals that Chelsea are going to rescue their season.
That sounds simple enough, but without Diego Costa fit and ready, Guus Hiddink's side are going to struggle to do it. And it's the Blues' Spanish striker who will be the X-Factor in their remaining games of 2015/16.
Indeed, Costa is already living up to that billing after scoring seven times in his past nine outings.
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Goals are vital because they win matches. That's a well-worn-out cliche that has stood the test of time in football. Be it the Swinging Sixties or a more modern time, commentators and journalists still like to roll it out.
The sentiment behind it isn't just about numbers and points. It's what goals represent to a team; it's what the victories they bring provide across the board.
For a team in Chelsea's position, the biggest factor in it all is confidence. Even now, despite remaining undefeated in 11 matches in all competitions, the reigning Premier League champions remain unsure of themselves.
They need belief they can win matches consistently again, which will come if Costa continues on his impressive run.
We've witnessed Chelsea's fragility this past week. From brushing MK Dons aside 5-1 in the FA Cup, they've scored just once in two league outings. An edgy goalless draw with Watford, followed up by a dramatic game with Manchester United that ended 1-1, hasn't done them any favours.
Chelsea are still in the bottom half of the table, and the top four looks no closer to being achieved. In fact, if we're judging by their demeanour, it's safe to assume Hiddink's players have accepted that much themselves.
Climbing the steep hill from 13th to fourth looks a tough task too many for Chelsea's fragile egos. At this stage of the season, it would be for most sides, too.
No matter how many victories Chelsea record between now until May, the players know it's going to take a spectacular implosion from Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City for the Blues to top any one of them.
That's not to mention the eight other teams who currently sit in Chelsea's way. They have to sift through plenty, and the task is looking ever more arduous with each dropped point.
Chelsea's season isn't just about the Premier League, though. They still have the FA Cup and Champions League to play for.
And Costa gives them hope of achieving something.
Cup football could be Chelsea's saving grace, and with a striker on form, their prospects are looking far brighter. Yes, even in the Champions League.
If ever there was a club who would know about the virtues of having a goalscorer leading a charge to glory in the cups, then it's Chelsea. Didier Drogba did it for them four years ago, as the Blues recorded an FA Cup-Champions League double.
Costa can do it for them now.
The circumstances are much different, but there are parallels between now and then. Chelsea were struggling to make the top four, they had an interim manager and the club seemed to lack any direction.
Like Costa did this season, Drogba had looked a shadow of himself in the first part of 2011/12, and the suggestions were that he would be leaving Chelsea at the end of the season.
The latter happened, but Drogba ensured he went out on the highest of highs.
Drogba had scored just six goals for Chelsea before he joined up with the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations in January. His season was proving a frustrating one, yet when it mattered, it was he who steered the ship to glory.
It was Drogba who started Chelsea's rescue mission against Napoli in the Champions League last 16 to help pull off what seemed an impossible mission in turning around a 3-1 deficit from the first leg.
It was Drogba who scored the winner against Barcelona in the semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge. It was Drogba who scored the decisive goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup final two weeks later.
Few need to be reminded that it was also Drogba who scored the winning penalty in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Not too long before that, Drogba saved Chelsea's bacon with an 88th-minute equaliser to make it 1-1 and send the game into extra time.
The point is, Drogba was Chelsea's big game player that year. When the team was struggling and needed inspiration, he was the man finishing off moves and making things happen. Without him, it's highly likely that silverware wouldn't have been forthcoming.
Since Hiddink returned, Costa is showing he can pull off something similar. His goals have already been directly responsible for winning five league points of the 12 the Blues have picked up under their new boss, and it feels very much like the beginning of something special from him.
Whisper it quietly, but Costa's coming of age at Stamford Bridge.
Take away the goals he has scored under Hiddink, and the risk of relegation would feel very real. What he has done in the past month or so is change the conversation. Chelsea will still be looking over their shoulder, but it's to the top 10 they are striving toward.
The feeling at Stamford Bridge is that the tide is gradually turning. Hiddink has been part of that happening, but it's Costa who is leading things on the pitch.
Suddenly Chelsea look threatening once again. They're asking questions of defenders, forcing them to commit juvenile errors in vital areas of the pitch. Just ask Per Mertesacker.
The feeling was always that when their key players rediscovered their best, Chelsea would too. Costa already has, and the Blues are looking better for it.
Like Drogba did in 2012, the Spanish international can be the man who provides that X-Factor when it matters most.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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