It required a courageous man to tell Diego Costa that there was no reason whatsoever to indulge his dark side so often on the football field.
That there was no need to be so wound up all the time, no need for the short temper, no need for the underhand tactics to undermine the opposition.
But then Antonio Conte was the manager who bravely tore up Chelsea’s early season playbook, sent them out in unfamiliar 3-4-3 and powered them to the top of the Premier League.
If they win the title, we will reflect on Chelsea’s 3-0 humbling at Arsenal in late September as the turning point. And not only because Conte adopted this successful system from then on, resulting in six consecutive league wins.
It was also the point where the penny finally dropped for Costa, after the intervention of Conte, that he didn’t need the unsavoury aspects of his game to succeed. No snarling, just scoring.
The Spaniard was booked four times in his first seven club games this season. But since that afternoon at the Emirates, he hasn’t troubled a referee since.
Conte has soothed Costa’s temperament like one of the imported lozenges he sucks to relieve his sore throat on the sidelines.
And rather than this drawing the sting from Costa’s performances, he has actually taken his game to a higher level.
Five goals and two assists since the Arsenal game has proven conclusively that Costa does not need to be provocative to be productive in front of goal.Â
He scored 16 for Chelsea last season, but already has 10 this. Not bad for a striker who was 20-1 to be top scorer in the Premier League this season.
While Jose Mourinho perhaps encouraged the nastier side of Costa as a weapon to disrupt opponents, Conte seems to have convinced him all that is not necessary.
It’s little wonder that a smiling Conte praised Costa as one of the world’s finest strikers after he struck the winner at Middlesbrough on Sunday.
‘Diego is always important, not only for goals but because he is our point of reference when we are attacking,’ said the Italian.
‘He has been very impressive in the way he has found a way to score a goal and he has to continue in this way.’
Conte was then asked about the change in the player’s temperament and confirmed that, following his counsel, Costa’s innate intensity is now being channelled in the right way.
‘In the past people always asked me about his reaction, his behaviour and his passion on the pitch,’ he added. ‘I think he is a striker who is one of the best in the world because he is showing his passion in the right way.
‘He is very focused on trying to help the team, with or without the ball.’
So the selfishness in Costa’s game has been stripped away, and the effort he showed to keep the Middlesbrough defence occupied on Sunday showed once again that he is now truly a team player.
Premier League titles are won on 1-0 away wins at places like Middlesbrough and Costa’s goal could yet prove to be one of enormous significance.
Chelsea were 16th at this point of last season, just three points off the relegation zone. Today, they sit a point ahead of Liverpool at the summit.
Naturally, Chelsea’s non-participation in European competition this season has helped, giving them a full week to prepare between fixtures.
But nothing should detract from the fact that Conte has come along and completely overhauled Chelsea, restoring them to title contenders.
And one of the best examples of his positive work has been the new, less evil, but still oh-so-effective man leading the line. Mail Online
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