Costa’s exile cannot go on

HOW on earth did it reach the stage where Diego Costa was at home in Brazil while Chelsea were losing at home to Burnley with nine men?

Costa was fantastic when they won the title last season. I can’t understand why Antonio Conte would not want him around to defend it. And if an amnesty between Costa and his manager is now impossible, Chelsea must get rid of him. Champions or not, as Jose Mourinho discovered two years ago, things can unravel at an alarming pace if there is a high-profile dispute raging in the background.

A stand-off between club and player works two ways. The club can make you train with the kids and turn out for the reserves – but in my experience, there is no sense in keeping an unhappy player.

But I would also make this prediction: If Costa (above) was welcomed back into the fold and scored on his return, fans would forgive him every minute he’s been spending in exile in Brazil.

I PREDICTED Huddersfield to finish bottom, and already they are three points of the way towards proving me wrong.

Their 3-0 win at Crystal Palace was the performance of the opening weekend. I liked the look of Steve Mounie and Aaron Mooy’s energy.

But unfancied Hull opened with two wins on the bounce last season, and that didn’t have a happy ending.

ZONAL marking is a cop-out because it gives defenders an excuse for conceding from set-pieces.

Liverpool recovered well from a defensive disaster at Watford to gain the upper hand in their Champions League qualifier against Hoffenheim, but a big question mark remains over Jurgen Klopp’s zonal marking system.

I’ve never been a fan. I prefer man marking because the responsibilities are clearer – if you lose him and he scores, you know who to blame.

It’s also hard to attack the ball in your ‘zone’ if an opponent has a clear run at it. And 27 goals conceded from set-pieces in Klopp’s first 100 games at Anfield is way too many for a club with title aspirations.