It only took one game of the 2016-17 season for Chelsea’s Diego Costa to cause controversial headlines.
Following the striker’s widely criticised antics on Tuesday morning against West Ham – having been fortunate not to be sent off following a foul on goalkeeper Adrian – the gang at oulala.com decided to look at which forwards in the Premier League have committed the most fouls in 2016 to see how the Blues’ hitman ranked.
Many would likely find it a surprise to see the fiery Spaniard sitting at 16th in terms of committed fouls, with his total sitting at just 20 since the turn of the calendar year when his form in front of goal markedly improved under Guus Hiddink.
Southampton’s Shane Long tops the list with 10 more fouls than Costa at 30 and Troy Deeney comes second, though this forcefulness in the final-third was probably a valuable asset for their respective sides. The towering Andy Carroll is also high up on the list despite having a season marred with injury, while Leicester’s Jamie Vardy also ranks higher than the Chelsea striker.
Is Costa indeed unfairly targeted as he claims, or does this figure overcoat a level of malice that underlies his play?
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