The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Diego Costa

  • Diego Costa travels with Chelsea

    Diego Costa travels with Chelsea

    Diego Costa was one of the 22 Chelsea players who left London for Slovenia yesterday ahead of the Champions League Group G clash at Maribor tonight.

    Chelsea beat Maribor 6-0 two weeks ago during a four-game absence for Costa, who returned from his persistent hamstring problems to play in Saturday’s defeat of QPR.

    Striker Loic Remy (groin) and midfielder John Obi Mikel (knee) are the only injury absentees, while third-choice goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is ineligible for Champions League competition.

    France striker Remy is likely to be out until after the forthcoming international break.

    Blues boss Jose Mourinho may rotate his Barclays Premier League-leading side, with Saturday’s match at Liverpool in mind.

    But he was less than impressed by the performance of his fringe players in the Capital One Cup defeat of Sky Bet League 2 Shrewsbury last week, so he must get the balance of selection right to record Chelsea’s third win from four matches in this season’s competition.

    The squad is the same which played QPR, plus Cesar Azpilicueta, the full-back who has now completed his three-match domestic suspension for his dismissal at Crystal Palace.

    Victory may secure the 2012 winners’ place in the last 16, depending on the result in Schalke’s match with Sporting Lisbon.

     

  • Costa wins EPL Player of the Month award

    Costa wins EPL Player of the Month award

    Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Month for August, Goal reports.

    The Brazilian-born Spain striker lifts the award in his first month in English football, having moved to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid this summer.

    Costa, 25, scored four goals in three matches at the start of the English campaign, including individual strikes against Burnley and Leicester City and a double against Everton in a 6-3 victory.

    The striker was criticised by Everton boss Roberto Martinez following the game at Goodison Park on August 30 for shouting at Seamus Coleman after the Irish right-back had scored an own goal.

    “I think there are certain foreign players who, when they come to the Premier League, need to understand the ethics and it’s a completely different culture,” he said.

    He beat off competition from Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas, Swansea City duo Nathan Dyer and Gylfi Sigurdsson and Aston Villa’s Andreas Weimann.

    But Swansea was successful in the manager’s category, with Garry Monk named Manager of the Month after guiding the Welsh side to three wins from three.

    The Welsh side kicked off its Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win at Manchester United, before beating Burnley 1-0 and West Brom 3-0.