Costa’s 20 goals in 26 league
appearances were crucial as Jose Mourinho’s side took an early grip on
last season’s title race that they never relinquished.
But concerns about the Spain striker’s
fitness became a recurring theme throughout the campaign and it
frequently took the brilliance of Eden Hazard to make up for the side’s
diminished attacking threat whenever Costa was absent.
And the sight of Costa limping out of a
recent friendly with Barcelona followed by his enforced absence from
last weekend’s Community Shield prompted fresh concerns that the former
Atletico Madrid star’s problems have not yet gone away.
Chelsea
manager Mourinho has stuck by his policy of operating with a squad that
includes just three strikers, with Radamel Falcao arriving on loan from
Monaco to join Loic Remy as back-up to Costa after Didier Drogba moved
to Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact.
The evidence of pre-season, however, has
been that Chelsea’s attacking options appear under-powered compared to
their main rivals and while Mourinho has not ruled out the possibility
of Costa facing Swansea when the champions return to action at Stamford
Bridge, the chances appear slim.
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