The end of 2015 was a tough for Diego Costa. And 2016 has not been any different.
After a groundbreaking first campaign at Chelsea, however still suffering from niggling injuries, Costa was right in the middle of the controversy as he failed to deliver as the Blues succumbed to 17th place under Jose Mourinho.
Blamed for Mourinho’s departure by the majority of the Stamford Bridge faithful, the Brazil-born No.9 enjoyed somewhat of a reinvigoration under interim boss Guus Hiddink from December to May as his performances improved, but continued to lack the clinical nature and goalscoring prowess that he is renowned for.
His misery was compounded by Vicente del Bosque not selecting him for Spain’s 23-man squad for EURO 2016—Costa was not even in the provisional squad—and there are many question marks over his future here at the Bridge and how next season under Antonio Conte’s tutelage is such a crucial one for the Spaniard.
Perhaps the most obvious way to get the best out of Costa in 16/17 is by pairing Michy Batshuayi and him together up front.
Conte’s preferred tactic is two men up front—with one being a thuggish target man (Costa) always trying to knock a ball down for his quick partner (Batshuayi) to latch onto. Strikers Pellé and Eder have done this so well for Conte’s Italy in the Euros.
He did this at Juventus, too, with Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez making something like this work in the Italian’s last season at the Old Lady.
Costa and Chelsea also need this partner as the Spaniard had the tendency to drift out wide last season, leaving no No.9 in the box. Two strikers are also needed as Costa can become easily isolated against a back-line that gets close to him and deprives him of time to hold up the ball or turn. Defenders now know how he plays and know a way to neutralise him.
Even better, Costa has experience in this role. He will have to sacrifice goals, however, as his low goalscoring rate in his early days at Atletico were down to his physicality being used to accommodate Falcao where, at Chelsea, it could be to accommodate Batshuayi.
There are still negatives to this, though. Costa isn’t necessarily the greatest player in the air and playing with two poachers up front, two strikers that are always lurking in and around the 18-yard-box whenever the opportunity arises, there would be a lack of support from the two frontmen during build-up play.
They are poachers, but they are not considered poachers because both players are more than one-dimensional. No No.9 nowadays can just stand in front of goal, they have to be well-rounded, able to link-up play, able to create, able to latch onto loose balls. Batshuayi and Costa tick these boxes but it’s just that they lurk around the box more than they should, instead of getting involved in the play.
Costa does drift out wide for support but when he gets the ball, he loses it very easily.
That’s why this next idea—Hazard in a role that Carlos Tevez at Juventus played so well—could get the best out of Diego Costa.
Another way to use Costa could be to play as the undisputed No.9 with Eden Hazard just behind, taking up the role of a creative forward which Carlos Tevez and Paulo Dybala have played so well in for Juventus. It would require the Belgian acting as almost a second striker but also providing that extra creativity for Costa. I cannot see Batshuayi playing this role as he is not a creator, but a box striker.
A second striker, or an auxiliary striker, is positioned between the undisputed No.9 and No.10. It does not have to be a prolific goalscorer like Tevez or Dybala—it can also be a vigorous forward that is very quick, with an eye for goal and can create opportunities.
Hazard is a perfect candidate for this role as, even the main himself admitted, that he is less ruthless than he should be in front of goal and that he prefers to create instead. The Belgian still has that eye for goal though, and would, in my opinion, even elevate his goalscoring tally as the deep-lying centre-forward.
This is ideal for Costa. Instead of drifting out wide and being an isolated figure up front, he can focus on doing what he does best—lurking in and around the 18-yard-box and scoring goals.
Or Conte could use Costa as just a simple lone striker as the club have since he joined.
It’s been a while since Chelsea played with two strikers, and Antonio Conte could just use one No.9 in Diego Costa at the start of next season while he experiments with the rest of his squad.
Next season will be a defining one for Diego Costa. All three systems mentioned have the potential to get the Spaniard firing on all cylinders again.
