Jose hits out at Costa

Diego Costa has turned into a pale imitation of the player who took the Premier League by storm last year.

Diego Costa has turned into a pale imitation of the player who took the Premier League by storm last year.

Published Nov 28, 2015

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London - Diego Costa is suffering in front of goal because he has lost the knack of anticipation, according to Jose Mourinho.

The Chelsea boss was embroiled in a public row with Costa during a 4-0 away win against Maccabi Tel Aviv last week, after accusing his centre forward of failing to push forward into the six-yard box.

They soon resolved their differences but the Brazil-born Spain striker, who scored the winner against Norwich last week, has only four goals this season and just seven in the last 10 months.

‘He is not reading the game properly,’ said Mourinho. ‘That was my opinion. As a striker you have to play not when you have the ball, but when others have the ball. You have to anticipate things and read the game faster. Everything is an accumulation. You’re not on fire again just because you’ve scored a goal against Norwich. It’s a process. His fitness is good.’

Asked about the row in Israel, Mourinho said: ‘Everything is OK, no problem. I told him, from a distance, I was not happy with the movement he did. He told me also a few nice words. Nothing happened.’

Chelsea visit high-flying Tottenham on Sunday, and Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule out managing England one day. The Spurs boss said: ‘You never know in football. I am always open for the future. But I am very happy here at Tottenham. I enjoy it a lot.’

Daily Mail

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