Conte lavishes praise on ruthless Costa

Antonio Conte hailed a newly-focused Diego Costa as “one of the best strikers in the world” after the Spaniard’s match-winning strike at Middlesbrough fired Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table.
Costa scored the only goal of the game at the Riverside, pouncing after a first-half corner rebounded inside the six-yard box, and now tops the Premier League goalscoring charts with 10 goals from 12 games.
Perhaps just as significantly, he has not been booked since the middle of September, and whereas post-match discussions would once focus on a perceived lack of discipline and a penchant for arguing with officials, it is now Costa’s football that is doing the talking.
“Diego is always important, not only for today,” said Conte. “He is our point of reference in attacking. He is impressive in the way he is finding his goals, and it is important to continue this way because we need his goals.

“Is he focused just on his football? It is important to have this question. In the past, people have been asking me about his behaviour and his reactions, but now as a striker, I think he is one of the best in the world.
“He has to continue this way, and he is showing his patience in the right way and is focused on helping the team, with and without the ball.”
With Liverpool having failed to beat Southampton on Saturday, Chelsea’s victory took them to the top of the table for the first time under Conte’s management.
Having won their last six games without conceding a goal, they are one point clear of both Liverpool and Manchester City, although Conte feels it is far too early to be talking about their title-winning credentials.
“I think that now it is difficult to reply to this,” he said. “Only a month and a half ago, you saw Chelsea conceded two defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal.
“After this, Chelsea were not a favourite or a team who could fight for the title until the end. Now, it is difficult to change that opinion completely.
“We are working well, but if you ask what is our target, I want to wait until the end of the first part of the championship.
“It’s hard to say if we’re the best side in the country right now, but I’m pleased with the players because they know our fans demand that we must fight until the end. I’m seeing with my own eyes that we have special players.”
Things are about to get more difficult for the league leaders, with next weekend’s home game with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur preceding a trip to Manchester City.
“We’re ready to play many games in a few days because from the start of the season, we’ve worked not only on the tactical aspect but also the physical aspect,” said Conte.
“You need the strength to run from the start to the end with good technique and talent. If you link the two, it’s important.
“Our trust in what we’re doing and how we are working is increasing, and now it’s important to focus on the next game, a massive one against Tottenham.”
Having claimed recent draws against Arsenal and City, Middlesbrough produced another spirited display against one of the title contenders. However, for all their improved form, Aitor Karanka’s side are just one point clear of the relegation zone.
“Playing against a team like Chelsea, we knew it would be tough,” said the Boro head coach.
“One mistake punished us, but we have shown we can compete against the best teams in the league. You can’t be pleased to lose one game, but I am pleased with the attitude of the players.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tight security as Abia council polls hold today

Image
The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade, has said the State Police command will provide adequate security across the seventeen local government areas of the State to ensure a smooth conduct of the local government election today. He stated that the Nigerian constitution guarantees that there must be adequate security during elections at the local councils because the people at the grassroots were involved. Oyebade who spoke during a press conference with senior Police officers in Umuahia, the State Capital, pointed out that the command had mapped out its operational plans to secure the State during and after the election. He explained that leaders of various political parties in the State have been briefed regarding the conduct of their candidates and the electorate on the election day. He said, “Every credible election must be well planned, because proper planning prevents poor performance. So those of us that are stakeholders in the State h
Read more

Confusion As ‘Cross Of Jesus’ Is Sighted In Nasarawa Mosque

Image
Residents of Assakio Development Area in Lafia, Nasarawa State were thrown into confusion on Saturday following the sudden appearance of a strange cross five feet away from a central mosque in the community. The mysterious sighting attracted a mammoth crowd from Assakio and its environs with many praying for forgiveness and blessings. Our correspondent observed that the illuminated cross was projected on to the ground. A 15 year-old-girl, Hajara Hussaini, in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, said she first sighted the sign of a cross at about 8pm on Wednesday. Hussaini, who said she had been sent on an errand by her parents, explained that when she saw a strange light, she as gripped by fear and rushed back home to alert her mother, Matan Liman. Confirming the incident to journalists, Matan said she had sent her daughter to visit her grandmother. The middle-aged woman added that her daughter saw the crucifix while returning from the errand. The Chief Imam of Assakio
Read more

Investors stranded as MMM reopens

Image
Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, a Ponzi scheme known simply as MMM, on Friday opened for business after one month of break, but investors in the scheme have remained stranded as they still cannot access their funds. MMM had announced the resumption on its Twitter handle, saying it was “now open” even though it had initially promised to reopen today, Saturday, January 14. In the message, the scheme’s founder, Sergey Mavrodi, said because of the likely deluge of requests from participants, payments would be gradual and have limits. He also said it would prioritise payments to participants with small amounts, which were not specified, and that big investors would have to wait longer. “Please, be prepared to wait for a couple of days. We are certain things will then calm down, and the system operation will return to normal. “We’re the ones setting limits, so it’s completely under our control, and we are not expecting any emergencies in principle. Have no fear and go on
Read more