DIEGO COSTA IS THE REAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chelsea striker is divisive but has been superb in all facets
N’GOLO KANTE is a deserved winner of the PFA player of the year award and it would not surprise me if the Chelsea midfielder goes on to pick up the football writers’ prize, too.
When it came down to the PFA player of the year vote, I am sure that the choice between Chelsea pair Kante and Eden Hazard ended up as the toss of a coin for most players. The journalists possibly find themselves with the same dilemma.
There is obviously a huge difference between the two of them and the way they play. Hazard is one of those players we all love to watch and who catches the eye, wins matches and brings that creativity and flair to the Chelsea side.
Kante just gets on with his job. He might not be the player you would pick out before a Chelsea game as someone you are looking forward to watching. He is not an eye-catching player but when you do study him closely, he is brilliant to watch.
What is very noticeable is the amount of ground Kante covers and how dynamic he is on the pitch. If ever Chelsea are open and expansive, and look like they are going to be under pressure or caught out, the little Frenchman is the first one who will spot the danger and is prepared and willing to help out. He is one of the most unselfish players you are likely to see.
It is no coincidence that Leicester won the Premier League title last season with Kante in the side and Chelsea look likely to be the champions this season after signing him last summer. He is a terrific footballer who has made a real difference to their side.
But I can’t understand how his Chelsea team-mate Diego Costa was completely overlooked and not even nominated for the PFA player of the year award. He would have got my vote.
Like Luis Suarez before him, Costa is a divisive figure, who plays the game on the edge. That style of play is clearly not to everyone’s liking. Yet there is no striker like him in the Premier League. Even when he is not scoring, which has been a problem until this week, he is still a nuisance, still desperate to cause problems for defenders and always a real danger.
He brings a real spark to the Chelsea team, which is rare in this day, and is great to watch. His movement is incredible, his hold-up play is sensational, he is quick and strong and always looking to cause problems for defenders. He is absolutely superb in everything he does.
But will he stay at Stamford Bridge? Although Chelsea managed to keep him until the end of the season, it looks like he’s not happy and that something is being manufactured for him to get away in the summer.
That is hard to fathom when he is playing so well for the team and always puts so much into every game. But who are we to judge him? We have to be respectful for what he has brought to the Premier League because there are not too many players in the world who can produce what Costa does.
Today’s visit to Everton is arguably Chelsea’s toughest game as they close in on regaining the Premier League title. Last week they were written off before the FA Cup semi-final and I must admit, I fancied Tottenham going into it.
Chelsea were absolutely clinical. They had a job to do and they saw it through with one of those perfect performances. Tottenham played well in a really good game but the Blues just found a way to win. And they took that confidence into the midweek success over Southampton, scoring another four.
You can’t deny that this is an exciting Chelsea team. Yes, they are great defensively and well organised but when they move forward and attack, they are brilliant. There are no weak links in the side, considering how far they all fell short in their standards last season before Jose Mourinho departed.
Hazard is probably even better than the previous season when he did win both player of the year awards, and he has more experience. Pedro has really impressed me this year, Willian has played an important bit part, Nemanja Matic is back to his best and the three at the back suits Cesar Azpilicueta, while Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso are excellent wing-backs. In goal, Thibaut Courtois may have made a couple of errors but across the season he has been impressive.
The pick of the defenders is Gary Cahill who has had his critics while playing for England and Chelsea over the years. But you only need to look at his goal the other night, when Costa was going to take his head off with an overhead kick, to recognise how he is brave in both boxes.
Consider Crystal Palace’s second goal against Liverpool last weekend and how the centre-backs got caught out. You appreciate a centre-back like Cahill because of the way he marks and deals with stress in those situation.
He has probably learnt from John Terry over the years because he just does his job effectively, and brilliantly. Like Kante, his efficiency goes almost unnoticed. Personally, I would love Tottenham to win the title, but that is the romantic in me who would like to see a different team winning the league again. But Chelsea have deserved it because of how they have played and bounced back from disappointment last season. And under Antonio Conte, this is a team which can only get better.