Diego Costa’s Three-Game Ban Was Bound To Happen Sometime
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After being charged with violent conduct by the English FA on Wednesday, Chelsea striker Diego Costa was today officially found guilty of the offense and received a three-game ban as punishment. Costa will now miss the vital Premier League title showdown against Manchester City this weekend, as well games against Everton and Aston Villa thereafter.
The Spaniard was singled out after appearing to stomp on Emre Can of Liverpool during the club’s Carling Cup semifinal on Tuesday. It is just one incident in a long line of occasions where Costa has seemingly walked the tightrope of fair play. This time, though, Costa has been punished retrospectively after referee Michael Oliver told the FA that he had not seen the incident — which then allowed the FA to step in and deal with it themselves.
When it comes to Costa, it really is the gift and the curse. The goals, work rate, determination, fighting spirit and focal point that he offers the team are what makes him one of the best in the EPL. But his temperament is progressively becoming a target for opposition teams to try and exploit. It’s a trade-off which does still leave Costa offering much more to his team than he takes away, but he does create his own problems without doubt.
Now, Chelsea find themselves having to play their closest rivals without their star striker. And for what? Costa gained nothing from the incident with Can; he had no reason to get involved as he did — but that’s Costa in a nutshell. Jose Mourinho has comically claimed there is a campaign against Chelsea and Costa, but the Portuguese knows this is not true as much as everybody else does. It’s simply a perception he likes to create in order to build a siege mentality within his squad of players.
The reality is that Chelsea are being singled out for diving/simulation because they do it a lot, and Costa is being singled out for violent conduct because that’s what happens when you go around stomping on opposing players. That’s the reality of it. Much like the rest of the team, Costa brings the drama onto himself. He can only have himself to blame for his three-match ban.
You will win more than you lose with the Spaniard on your team, but it’s not the number of wins that Chelsea may require to win the EPL this season; it may well come down to the specific individual games against their direct rivals. Chelsea can beat many of the lower teams without Costa. But can they beat a team like City without him? We’re about to find out.
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