adminLONDON. — Diego Costa will try to silence the growing criticism of his poor form after the troubled Chelsea striker dominated the build-up to Bournemouth’s visit to Stamford Bridge today.
After his reaction to being dropped overshadowed Chelsea’s draw at Tottenham last weekend, Costa appeared to be heading for more controversy when the Spain star was photographed leaving a London nightclub along with team-mates Kenedy and Ramires in the early hours of Thursday morning.
However, Blues boss Jose Mourinho had given his approval for the players to go out for their Christmas party and Costa was in shape to train nine hours later with the rest of the squad.
Mourinho will hope the night out helps lift his players, and Costa in particular, as they attempt to move away from the lower reaches of the English Premier League table.
His decision to leave Costa on the bench against Tottenham prompted a show of indignation from the forward, who at one stage appeared to toss his training bib in the direction of the manager.
Mourinho dismissed that incident but his assessment of his side’s display in securing a scoreless draw was their “best team performance of the season” was telling. And Costa has “trained very well” and is in contention to return to the team at home to Bournemouth today, after his temper tantrum at Tottenham Hotspur last week, said manager Mourinho.
The controversial Spanish international made his annoyance clear after being left on the bench during the goalless draw at Spurs, throwing a training bib in the manager’s direction when it was clear he would not be brought on.
“He’s been very good, he trained very well,” Mourinho told a news conference yesterday. “Diego is the type of player who always tries, I just need him to be what he is, I don’t need a reaction.”
Chelsea’s Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, missing since injuring a knee in September, will return against Bournemouth or in the Champions League tie at home to Porto on Wednesday, when Mourinho’s side need a win to finish top of Group G.
“To lose your number one for three months, something like for 19 matches without the best goalkeeper in the world, is tough for us,” Mourinho added. “If he does not play against Bournemouth he will play against Porto.”
It will be a rare visit to Stamford bridge by Bournemouth, who are in the top flight for the first time in their history. The two clubs have met five times before and only played in the same division in one previous campaign, 1988-89.
“Brilliant work last season,” Mourinho said of the south coast club. “The Premier League is different but they believe in themselves, they deserve respect.”
He is confident, however, that Chelsea are over the worst run of his managerial career, dropping to 16th place before keeping three successive clean sheets in all competitions.
“If we can get a good result, it will be four in a row unbeaten and we haven’t had that for a long time.
“We performed very well at Tottenham. We could have played another couple of hours and not conceded a goal.” Defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic will wear a mask to protect his broken nose, but club captain John Terry, midfielder Ramires and striker Radamel Falcao are not yet fit.
Mourinho is confident his side are now moving in the right direction after recording three successive clean-sheets since the last international break.
The reigning champions desperately need a victory, though, after a dismal run that has left them in 14th place, just five points above Bournemouth who occupy the third relegation place.
“We are not in a good place — you have to tell the truth. With our players, Chelsea should be first or second every year,” Blues defender Kurt Zouma told Sport magazine.
“There have been difficult moments, but our spirit has always been good. Everybody helps everybody and the dressing room is happy.
“There is no problem with the boss, no problem with anybody. I think we are going to grow in the table, for sure.
“If we continue to play the way we are doing, that will happen very quickly. If we think game by game, we can do something brilliant.”
Bournemouth’s season has been affected by a succession of major injuries to key players, but Eddie Howe’s side were handed a major boost last weekend when they recovered deep in stoppage-time to rescue a 3-3 draw against Everton.
The manner in which Bournemouth claimed a point was encouraging, although they have now shipped 30 goals in 14 league games — the joint worst record in the division and a clear indicator of where their problems lie.
“I think at the moment, we’re in a position where what matters first and foremost is the number of points we have at the end of the game,” Bournemouth defender Sylvain Distin said.
“If we can manage to stop conceding goals, it will help. Things seem to be going against us but that is no reason to give up. We have to make sure we don’t concede as many goals.” — AFP
Online Reporter