Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been heavily criticised by BBC Sport pundit Danny Murphy for his attitude on Sunday in the draw with Tottenham.
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Murphy wasn’t as concerned about the incident which saw the Spaniard throw his bib in the direction of boss Jose Mourinho, as the former Liverpool midfielder believes that that was merely a moment of petulance.
However, he was far from impressed by the reports that Costa had refused to warm up prior to the game having found out that he wouldn’t be featuring in the starting line-up, as he told MOTD3.
Murphy believes that was a show of disrespect not only to Mourinho, but also his Chelsea teammates which can cause problems in the dressing room if others don’t believe that he is committed to their cause whether he is on the pitch or not.
Costa’s actions have certainly split opinion as there are conflicting reports in the media, with The Guardian suggesting that he will be handed a reprieve against Bournemouth this weekend, while in contrast The Mirror has claimed that the Premier League champions are looking at alternatives in the January transfer window.
Given that Mourinho downplayed any talk of having issues with his Spanish striker, it is unlikely that it will continue to escalate into a bigger problem. However, Costa’s lack of goals this season could emerge as the issue as he has scored just four goals in 17 appearances in all competitions so far this year.
For a club looking to make up ground after a poor start to the campaign in order to defend their Premier League crown, along with having aspirations of conquering the Champions League, Mourinho will know that he needs more goals from his strikers.
As a result, it remains to be seen whether or not Costa can turn his form around after being snubbed, or if it makes the situation worse and pushes him closer to the Stamford Bridge exit door.
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