Free-scoring Chelsea striker Diego Costa has warned that his sparkling burst of goalscoring will come to an end sooner rather than later.
Costa scored a hat trick as Chelsea beat Swansea 4-2 to open up a two point gap at the top of the Premier League on Saturday. That takes his goal tally to seven in four games since his arrival from Atletico Madrid this summer, with the Spaniard admitting to reporters his scoring rate is beyond his own expectations.
"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."
Blues manager Jose Mourinho spoke in glowing terms when quizzed about Costa's impact since his 32 million-pound move from Spain. He said the striker's desire to play every game has helped him overcome persistent niggling injury doubts.
"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 [against Swansea], and he played all three," stated 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.
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"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."