SULKY COASTAL LEAVES BLUES WITH HOLE LET OF PROBLEMS
THEY NEED ANOTHER STRIKER TO FILL GAP
ROMAN ABRAMOVICH has flexed his muscles over Diego Costa – but Chelsea will need another striker if they are to do special things this season. Alvaro Morata has been phenomenal since he came in and he will probably terrorise Arsenal tomorrow in the same way Costa did. But you can’t challenge for the Premier League and Champions League with only one striker. That is no disrespect to Michy Batshuayi, but he just doesn’t look ready to fill in for any extended length of time. He’s looked dangerous off the bench sometimes but if Morata gets injured, can you see him carrying Chelsea for 15 games? I can’t. I think they need to buy another striker in January because Costa is not coming back. He will end up at Atletico Madrid. I don’t think he’s won here at all, though. Abramovich has put his foot down with Costa and is making him miss six months of his career. Unless he makes a sensational comeback, he is going to miss the World Cup. Abramovich has not been petty or childish either. It’s just business. He’s ®Êby PAUL BROWN going to get a much bigger fee than he would have got had he taken Atletico Madrid’s first offer and he’ll have shown Costa who’s boss.
You don’t become that wealthy and successful by letting people walk all over you. I think Costa has definitely made a big mistake here.
He was playing for one of the best teams in the country and had a great chance of winning the Champions League with Chelsea.
Sweating
But sometimes pride takes over. I know the manager said he doesn’t want him. But wouldn’t you come back and prove him wrong?
Instead he’s sulking in Brazil. I think if he’d come back and trained like they asked him to, they would have let him go. But he’s been sitting there in Brazil having a go at the club.
Now he should be sweating because this is his last chance to play in a World Cup.
He has to wait months and miss a load of football. He’s been badly advised.
It could ruin his chances of playing for Spain in the biggest tournament in the world. I think Chelsea have a genuine chance of winning the Champions League. They have done great to turn things around after a difficult start. They have so much guile now Eden Hazard is back, a good system and players who can hurt you as well as those who can defend. They just need another striker. They are one player short of being virtually unstoppable. It won’t matter against Arsenal though. If Chelsea go a goal up, you know Arsenal will capitulate. It could even end up being another match where, if you’re an Arsenal fan, you will need to turn your head away from the TV – just like against Liverpool. People say Arsenal have bounced back by beating Bourne away from the they showed bottle. No Bournemouth. I hope Arsene Wenger use Thursday’s Europ situation as an excu will have plenty o rested up for th Let’s face it fault they’re League. T else to blame.