There are better strikers in the world than Diego Costa, but for Chelsea, the Spanish-Brazilian striker might be the perfect fit as Jose Mourinho seems to once again have built himself a team that’s hitting full steam in his second season, right now looking like the scariest side not just in the Premier League but in Europe as well.
Mourinho wasn’t completely happy with the 6-3 win over Everton at Goodison Park. As he mentioned, it was a great match for fans in the stadium and the millions watching on television sets, but no manager is happy when his team conceded three goals and is involved in a match that should have been shut down very early on considering Chelsea scored twice in the opening three minutes, and especially when all three goals happen to be partially due to soft defending.
But when the offense scores at will, those problems can be left to be dealt with in training. Right now, Chelsea seem to have the right blend of toughness and creativity in their midfield, even though Mourinho took a more conservative approach, as funny as it may sound, when selecting his lineup to the Everton match. Ramires and Willian instead of Oscar and Andre Schurrle. The approach indicated from that was quite clear.
Two goals in three minutes make that approach disappear. Diego Costa is everything Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba weren’t last season. He gives Chelsea power on their counter attack and some improvisational skills when inside the box. His temper might cause problems at times and another referee might have sent him off for his taunting at Seamus Coleman, but after four goals in three matches, it’s impossible to complain about his contribution.
And now there’s the blend of Cesc Fabregas with Nemanja Matic, who isn’t just a defensive beast with a goal and assist. He doesn’t operate too high, usually sitting just in front of the front four, but the talented Serbian midfielder allowed Fabregas to once again look like the best player on the pitch for long stretches, and even made Ramires look like quite the exciting attacking player for a moment.
Few teams will defend as carelessly as Everton did due to their 100% commitment to constantly attack, especially when falling so quickly behind. However, right now Mourinho has himself a team that has an answer to almost every defensive formation with depth and versatility to change and react within the match, which begins with the signings he’s made to answer his creativity problems from last season in Diego Costa and Fabregas.