Chelsea forward keen to plead his case following stamping ban.
Sidelined by a three match suspension for an apparent stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can it appears Chelsea forward Diego Costa is on a mission to clear his name.
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Speaking to the Mail on Sunday the Brazilian born Spanish international is at pains to point out that whilst he is a rough and tumble, old-fashioned style centre-forward, he isn’t the type of player to deliberately set out to injury an opponent.
On the subject of whether the 26 year old considers himself to be a violent player the Blues man explains;
‘You have to see how many times have I injured someone,’
‘Never. I’ve never inured another colleague, another player on purpose. Yes I’ve had loads of incidents — maybe even more in Spain. But that’s the way I play.’
The former Atletico Madrid man does not intend on changing his overly-physical approach to the game, which is understandable as that aggressive style is part and parcel of what the big forward has to offer, Costa is similar unflinching.
‘I’m not going to change the way I play because I got banned for a few games now. I’m always loyal, I always go 100 per cent, I always go on the limit but the people who think I am a violent player, it’s because they interpret football a different way.’
Unsurprisingly Costa is a fan of the way the game is played in England, indeed it’s perhaps the ideal location for a player of his talents, the Chelsea man adding;
‘I really, really like it because it’s very competitive, it’s very physical. Here, playing as a striker, you get kicked way more than, for example, Spanish football and referees don’t call fouls — not only for me but all strikers in the league.
‘On the pitch I transform myself. I really, really want to win. I want to be competitive, I want to run all over. I can accept defeat but I love to win and be competitive. It is my job. I train all week just to play for 90 minutes. I love playing games and so, during those 90 minutes, it’s always 100 per cent.’
Costa has certainly taken to life in the Premier League like the proverbial duck to water, his 17 goals in 19 top tier starts a testament to that fact, and if he continues to impress then he may just be the recipient of a title winners medal at the first time of asking.