Diego
Costa has the support of Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte despite the
striker's intermittent goalscoring record this year.
Costa has 17 Premier League goals this season, but only three in 10 games in
2017.
A three-game barren run means the 28-year-old is still seeking his 50th
Chelsea goal.
"Goals are very important for the forwards," Conte said. "But I think he
knows that, for us, he's an important player if he is scoring or if he
doesn't score.
"He must continue with his commitment and then I'm sure he'll score. He's
playing good football and doing what I want. I'm not concerned about this.
"I speak with all my players if I'm not happy with someone's commitment or
behaviour, but not if he's not scoring.
"It can happen. In a lot of circumstances he was unlucky. But a player like
Diego Costa can score in every game and I'm sure he can do this."
Costa won La Liga with Atletico Madrid in 2013-14 before claiming a first
Premier League title with Chelsea a year later after a £32m move to Stamford
Bridge.
Now in his third season at Chelsea, Costa is seeking a second Premier League
triumph, with the Blues seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham ahead
of Saturday's match at Bournemouth and Conte lauded his character.
He said: "The quality is his experience. His character. His personality.
That's very important for us and the team. Also, Diego won in the past and
he has good experience."
Conte has repeatedly pointed to his team's experience of winning and again
outlined the importance of a winning mentality at this stage of the season.
The Chelsea boss has won Serie A as a player and manager with Juventus, so
can share his experience with his players.
He said: "I'm lucky. Lucky because I lived these two situations in both
roles, as a manager and as a player.
"A winning mentality is to face every game with the same concentration, with
the same intensity, the same desire to fight if you play against a top team
or if you play against a team who are fighting in the relegation zone. It's
not easy to have this."
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