TERRACE TALK: Chelsea - Reformed Costa all bite and less bark

Where to start? First, I need to thank Arsenal. Yes,
you heard that right. If it wasn’t for that loss at the
Emirates, I don’t think Conte would have brought his
revolution forward and decided there and then to
change the way we play.
It was the key moment of the season – it convinced
Conte that there was no point in an extended
settling-in period. He had seen enough.
It was still a brave move and it’s only with hindsight
that we can say it was exactly the right thing to do.
I still went to the Ethiad with some trepidation
though.
Despite everything we have seen in recent
matches, I didn’t think we could win up there and
most of those I spoke to before the game would
have taken the draw in a heartbeat.
The City fans were uber-confident before the game
and didn’t take the loss well – it was all the
referee’s fault apparently, and Luiz should have
been sent off, and they should have had two
penalties.
Nothing to do with De Bruyne missing an open goal
or Aguero failing to take his chances.
Still, you don’t have to look far to see where this
sense of entitlement comes from – Pep Guardiola.
His ironic clapping of the referee was totally
unnecessary (let’s see if he gets fined for sarcasm
as Mourinho did), his petulance at ignoring the
hands of many of the Chelsea players at the end of
the match and his refusal to acknowledge the intent
in Aguero’s disgraceful challenge show him for
what he really is.
The City team totally losing the plot near the end of
the game was priceless – pure frustration – and if
we can drive a team packed with such talent to
behaving like that, then we have them running
scared.
Aguero, brilliant though he is, has a dark and violent
edge which is rarely talked about by the media,
whereas Costa, who is little more than a pantomime
villain, has officially been classified as some sort of
footballing nutjob.
Aguero’s ‘tackle’ on Luiz was not simply a ‘strong
challenge’ Pep, it was a pre-meditated, cowardly
assault. And he has previous form – the last two-
footed challenge on David Luiz was equally
horrendous and went unpunished and could have
finished his career.
At least this time he got the red card he deserved,
but had that been Costa I’m sure the government
would be discussing the reintroduction of capital
punishment by now.
But let’s turn our eyes away from the ugly and
focus on the sublime. Costa has been a revelation
this season.
He is fitter, happier and virtually unplayable. He
tormented City. His strength allowed him to just
shrug off challenges and you could see the
determination in every movement – his focus was
on goal – nothing else.
Has this turnaround been brought about by Conte?
Possibly, in part, but our Diego does seem to be a
changed man since he’s got himself a four-legged
friend. Bella the dog seems to have reformed him.
He looks like someone who wants to play football
without ripping someone’s head off – someone who
seems to finally be settling in London rather than
pining for Madrid. I hope the club have organised
Bella her own bodyguard.
Then there’s Hazard – back to skipping, dancing
around the pitch causing consternation and fury
amongst the opposition. So much so that City simply
resorted to the black arts to try and stop him.
And we can’t leave out Luiz – this week’s word for
Luiz is ‘majestic’.
For years, I have bemoaned the lack of a really
serious contender to take over from John Terry as
captain – well, since his stint in France, the
Brazilian has come back a polished gem and he is
beginning to look like captain material.
I can’t leave out Kante – quietly gets on with his job
without any fuss or fanfare. There’s a reason that
Leicester are a shadow of the team they were last
season and that’s because their heart now plays
number seven for Chelsea.
What we need now is for Conte to ensure these
players do not become complacent.
He should nail the press clippings from the
Swansea game on the dressing room door and do
what he can to persuade Fabregas to stay – we
need that kind of strength-in-depth.
There is still a long way to go in this campaign and
it’s still all a bit close but we have as good a
chance as anyone.