The Pre-Match Preamble – Gameweek 8

Diego Costa is a problem. It’s becoming clear by the week that his fragility, valid or otherwise, will remain an issue.

Jose Mourinho remains adamant that his striker’s hamstrings teeter at breaking point with every extra exertion. Yesterday’s press conference saw the Chelsea manager take on the body language and stance of the accused, parrying enquiries of Costa’s fitness and taking the “no comment” route when press enquires backed him into a corner.

Typically, it left us short of answers. Clearly uncomfortable with a line of questioning that was siphoning him down a path that would have him declare Costa’s availability, Mourinho fidgeted and was dismissive with his responses. Again, he looked to emphasise that, following toils with Spain over the international break, Costa’s condition was an issue, without ultimately presenting a degree of clarity….

“The Spanish team played in Luxembourg on Sunday. I gave them Diego, [Cesc] Fabregas and [Cesar] Azpilicueta, so I gave these players Monday and Tuesday off. They need to report to train on Wednesday 3pm. Diego was here Monday at 9am. So you can imagine how strong he was to be here Monday at 9am.”

From that, it was presumed that Costa had returned early for treatment on an injury: a fair conclusion given that Mourinho had previously stated that the striker was a limited participant in training sessions…

“He’s doing almost nothing in training. He’s just resting and recovering from the tight muscle he has.”

Costa would be hardly likely to return to the Chelsea camp on Monday morning to rest. However, when urged to confirm whether his star asset did indeed undergo treatment, Mourinho rolled out the “no comment” option. I love Mourinho, but this a worrying development and a new low in our “relationship”.

Spanish coach, Vicente del Bosque has this week described Costa’s injury as “mystical”, casting further doubt on Mourinho’s claims and perhaps giving us a different perspective on the Chelsea manager’s comments.

“His muscle injury is very difficult to prove. We were almost in the realm of the mystical.”

For me, that’s more than a insinuation that Del Bosque feels that there is something being created out of nothing.

For Fantasy managers, the scenario that has built over the weeks has now become an issue. Regardless of the validity of Mourinho’s claims on the injury, it’s clear that he remains keen to use the situation to his advantage rather than openly report on a potential absence. The Chelsea manager is keen participant in mind games and Costa’s ongoing “condition” looks to be an effective weapon in any ploys.

The press and their keenness to present a worst-case scenario, only compounds the situation. Previously we’ve seen Costa written off for several weeks, only for him to take the pitch 24 hours later to score further goals to fuel his rising ownership and claims for “essential” status.

Mourinho’s comments have again been interpreted as spelling out a term of absence for Costa – reports suggest that the striker could be sidelined for three weeks. It’s hard to imagine that those are based on fact given Mourinho’s desire to guard the details in front of yesterday’s cameras.

We know one thing: this whole circus is problematic. The perpetual doubt surrounding the most popular and consistent Fantasy asset is a source of frustration that may force us to explore a “plan B”.

While few will consider shipping Costa while there’s any chance he’ll take to the pitch, it’s likely that we’ll all need alternatives when it comes to the captaincy, or have the nerve to remain loyal to the Chelsea man, ignoring the noise of uncertainty that seems to be generated around him every other week.

Chelsea go to United next Sunday – that’s a scenario tailor-made for Mourinho’s mind games to go into overdrive. If Costa starts at Palace, will he dare to introduce concerns that the striker will miss the United clash? Sadly, that seems inevitable.