Diego Costa: I Won’t Change My Approach

Diego Costa: I Won’t Change My Approach

Chelsea hit-man Diego Costa has said he will never change his approach to football. The striker netted 20 Premier League goals in his first season in England following his £32 million move from Atlético Madrid. However, the Spaniard has already picked up a slight reputation for his bulldog like approach to the game.

“I don’t think I have done anything malicious; I’ve not had a red card so why change anything about the way I am?”

“I’ve always played this way for all the sides I’ve been with and I’ve always scored a lot of goals in this style.”

“The key for me is to score goals and win trophies. If I change in any way, I’m not going to be the same player. I feel very much at ease and neither the manager nor anyone else at the club has said anything to me, and at no point have I shown any lack of loyalty at all and so that is good enough for me.”

“Goals are what count for me.”

“It’s not about a battle with defenders. Fighting hard, giving everything and working hard on the field you have to combine with the goals you score. It doesn’t matter if defenders want to battle with me or not, I will just be trying to do my job as well as I possibly can.”

“Do I enjoy the aggression of English football? No, I like to play football, I like to score goals, I like to do things well. You can get different types of games, some which are more of a battle, some which are less hard fought. I think it depends on each game, how you feel a game happens to be going, how you are playing at a given time, as no two games are the same.”

Costa will spend next season alongside former team-mate Radamel Falcao, who joined up with the Chelsea squad after a difficult year with Manchester United last season. Diego Costa believes the Colombian will not suffer the same fate at Chelsea.

“I’ve spent a couple of seasons with Falcao and I reckon things went fairly well.”

“He did a lot for me and he’s a great striker.

“Whether the manager chooses to play us alongside each other, that’s one for him to decide, but let’s hope he gets here soon because he is a very talented player who needs a bit of affection, and people here cannot wait for him to arrive to help us out because he is a key player who will be decisive for us.”

“He’s a top bloke too. He gets on very well with his team-mates and he will help us a lot off the field, in the dressing room. He is a really big-hearted guy and that’s the most important thing. He is going to get everything he needs. And here’s hoping he can be the same player that he has been throughout his career.”

“I think he’ll be fine. I suffered an injury similar to his in 2011 and now I’m fine. All he needs is the consistency of regular football and to feel loved, which I think he’ll get from the manager, as well as his teammates who will all be there for him.”

“I think it’s good for us that he didn’t have the best of seasons as that’s why he’s now with us. Radamel knows the sort of manager Mourinho is. He’s a manager who is liked by players because he trusts and backs them. He doesn’t sign a player just for the sake of it.”

[All quotes are sourced from the Guardian]