West Ham vs Chelsea: Diego Costa admits he's 'no angel' but refuses to change his ways despite latest ban

Costa has been banned for three matches twice this year but insists his style is somehting the Premier League must get used to

Jack de Menezes
Friday 23 October 2015 07:43 BST
Comments
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has vowed not to change his combative style
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has vowed not to change his combative style (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Diego Costa has admitted that is “no angel” on the pitch, but the Chelsea striker has vowed not to change his ways even if his combative and provocative style gets him into trouble.

The 27-year-old Spain international has already served two three-game bans this year having been found guilty of stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can and hitting Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the face.

Costa has scored just twice in the Premier League this season that coincided with the champions’ woeful start to defending their title, but the hot-headed forward believes his style has carried him this far and there is no reason why he needs to change it now.

"I've got this far thanks to the way I play the game," Brazil-born Costa said in an interview on the BBC’s Football Focus."I'm not going to change that because of what people may think of it."

Both Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger have criticised Costa’s aggressive nature on the pitch, but he football has always had that side to it and feels that fans of the Premier League simply have to get used to it.

"I think that football has always had a passionate, aggressive side, with players giving their all," said Costa. "People have to get used to this.

Diego Costa was banned for three matches for clashing with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny
Diego Costa was banned for three matches for clashing with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny (Getty Images)

"Some people seem to think football is like theatre, and that everyone has to play the good guy.

"But I think that you transform when you cross the white line, you're not the same person as off it. I give no quarter and I ask for none. Out there I'm going to fight for my team and do the best I can.

"Afterwards, when the match is over, I have my family and my friends. I have fun like a normal person. But on the pitch don't try and put wings on me, as I am no angel."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in