Chelsea star gets vote of confidence from manager, praises his ‘positive’ presence in squad

 

One of the hardest strikers to handle on his day, Diego Costa’s temperament on the pitch has caused him more problems than it has solved in the past.

With red cards peppered here and there throughout his career, the Spanish striker remains first and foremost a man capable of putting the ball in the back of the net even if he isn’t having a particularly good day.

Doing exactly that against a stubborn Albania on Sunday, the Chelsea striker helped Spain regain top of Group G by scoring the first in a 2-0 win.

One man, however, who has full faith in Diego Costa is Julen Lopetegui, his national team manager, who was speaking to the Spanish press, relayed by Marca, on Monday.

He said: “(Costa) competes in a very noble manner, even if his personality can play him a few tricks. His presence in the team is positive. He fits perfectly in our style of play.”

His goal against Albania was his fourth for Spain, taking his tally to three in four under Julen Lopetegui, who replaced Vincente Del Bosque as the national team’s manager following their 2016 Euros exit.