LONDON, September 15- Chelsea striker Diego Costa has paid tribute to his team-mates for his flying start to life in the Premier League, but concedes his goals will dry up at some point.
The summer signing from Atletico Madrid took his tally to seven in four games with a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Swansea on Saturday.
Costa admits his rich vein of form is beyond his own expectations and he knows that his red-hot run will come to an end at some point.
“I try to play in the best manner, and hopefully things will continue like this, but there will be a moment when I cannot score. That is football,” said Costa.
“Every striker has their way of playing and their strengths and a different team behind them. That is very important.
“If you do not have the team behind you, then you can’t do things on your own. It all depends on the team.
“I am adapting very well, although it’s not just me. The key is the group that we have. It is like a family. The squad and all the people around the team are united in our cause.”
Costa also warned Premier League defenders he is ready for whatever they throw at him as they try to stop him this season.
“I play in the fashion that I have to play. If I have to have a physical battle, then I can fight.
“If I have to play with quality, I can do that too.”
Jose Mourinho also praised Costa’s character for playing through the pain barrier after being a doubt for the Swansea game following an injury sustained on international duty with Spain.
“He was a risk and a doubt before Everton [two weeks ago], a risk and a doubt before Spain’s game [last week], and a risk and a doubt before this game, and he played all three,” said Mourinho.
“The most important thing of a player’s character is what affects his performance as a player. Nobody can stop him. I’ve tried. I tried to be sure, but he keeps going.
“He is a risk and a doubt again for next Wednesday [against Schalke] because of an accumulation of matches, but nobody can stop him.
“It is not about the modern player, it is about the modern society, where people tell them to be selfish, in the sense of themselves first and the team second. But with Diego it is, ‘The team first – they need me – and me second. I am ready to go for the team’.
“When you get guys with this mentality they become special and they can be an influence to the people around them. He is a leader, who knows exactly what the team needs and is ready to give it.”
-Football365.com
