PREMIER LEAGUE SWANSEA DUTY & THE
Conte urges Costa: Keep the fire but rein in the fury... we need you on pitch
ANTONIO CONTE has ordered Diego Costa to control the beast within.
The Chelsea manager loves his star striker’s passion.
But whereas Costa’s old Stamford Bridge gaffer, Jose Mourinho, was happy for him to push the boundaries with his on-field antics, the Italian wants him to learn to channel his aggression in the right way.
Conte, whose side take on Swansea at the Liberty Stadium this afternoon, said: “Diego is a passionate man and for this reason, sometimes, he risks the yellow card.
“I want him to improve in this aspect, I want to have him in all the games, but Diego knows the situation.
“I like it when a player shows his passion for this sport. It’s fantastic.
“We do this work but, for us, it’s not work, it’s a passion.
“It’s important to transfer this to our fans and all the people who watch the game.
“So, yes, I want him to carry on with passion, but the right passion and the right aggression.
“He must transfer his emotions on to the pitch in the right way. Always.
“Diego is a good guy. He’s a player who is very important for the team.
“I tell him: ‘Transfer your passion and enthusiasm in the right way, and it’s good for me’.”
Costa, the Brazil- born Spain forward, criticised the Spanish media last week, claiming that he does not get a fair crack of the whip because he does not play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.
The 27-year-old felt the criticism
over his international goal drought – which ended with two goals in Monday’s 8-0 win over Liechtenstein – would have been less had he played for one of the La Liga giants.
But Conte added: “Diego must think about playing football on the pitch.
Focused
“To play with Chelsea, to play with the national team in Spain… it’s important to be focused on the pitch. To leave the other situations. Those other situations are not interesting for him, for me, for Chelsea, for the fans and for the national team.
“I watched him and he played a good game against Belgium and against Liechtenstein.
“It’s normal, though, that if you are a forward and you score, you’ve had a fantastic performance.
“If you play well but don’t score, people say the performance is not good. But Diego is a player who, every game, puts all of himself into the game. I like this a lot.”
Chelsea have endured mixed fortunes against Swansea in their past