Marcos Alonso has backed Diego Costa to end his goal scoring drought in the coming weeks and has defended the striker’s contributions to Chelsea’s season so far.
The striker has now gone four league games without a goal and has received criticism from a number of fans due to his recent performances. However, Alonso insists that Costa will bounce back from this slump in form and that the Spanish international has already had a huge role in Chelsea’s title chase.
Diego has been massive for Chelsea this season. He has almost scored 20 goals [this season] and that is a significant contribution.
Alonso was speaking to the Evening Standard following Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth. He continued:
But it’s not just about that, with the way we play, he is very important. He had another couple of chances to score against Bournemouth but no doubt next week he’ll be there again.
Chelsea’s next league game is against Manchester United, followed by an FA Cup semi-final against London rivals Tottenham, and Alonso thinks that these are exactly the type of games to get Costa playing at his best again, but also made it clear that getting a positive result is the most important thing.
Is he a big game player? Yes. Manchester United is going to be a tough game for us but it doesn’t matter who scores, hopefully we will get three points.
Alonso was also keen to point out the role that Costa plays off the pitch in terms of boosting morale amongst the players.
Diego has a great personality and is very good for the people. He is a very important player, not just outside on the pitch but also inside the dressing room.
Alonso pointed out the stress that can come from being top of the league with Tottenham doing their best to close the gap at the top and says that players like Costa really help to relieve some of that pressure.
It’s good to have someone like Diego around who is funny and provides something to enjoy. Being in this position is something that should always be enjoyed.
