ANTONIO CONTE is reportedly ready to name Diego Costa in Chelsea’s starting XI to face Hull on Sunday.
The Chelsea boss left his star striker out of the squad at Leicester on Saturday after a bust-up last week.
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But the Blues coped well in his absence as they maintained their hold on top spot with a 3-0 victory.
Eden Hazard led the line instead of Costa, who has become unsettled amid a mega-money offer from China.
However, according to the Daliy Star, Conte bears no grudge with the 28-year-old, despite their heated argument at Cobham training ground.
And it is said the Italian is prepared to reintroduce Costa at Stamford Bridge to face relegation battlers Hull in less than a weeks’ time.
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Ahead of the Blues’ next match, Diego Costa will have his lower back injury assessed today, which Conte was angry he reported to medical staff last week.
Fitness coach Julio Tous insisted it was only a minor issue, although the Spain international will rejoin the first-team squad if he is deemed fine in the morning.
Roman Abramovich has no intention of selling Costa this month, with Tianjin Quinjian willing to spend £80m and make him the world’s highest paid player.
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But Express Sport understands he will snub any new contract at Chelsea and quit the club in the summer.
Costa was pictured training on his own yesterday, suggesting he will pass a fitness test today.
Conte and Mourinho are better managers than Guardiola for this reason – Collymore
PEP GUARDIOLA isn’t proving to be as successful as Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte this season, says Stan Collymore.
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The former Barcelona boss suffered his heaviest league defeat as a manager when Manchester City suffered a 4-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday.
Life hasn’t been plain sailing in his debut season with City fifth in the table.
But Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has had no trouble settling into the Premier League with his side top of the table, seven points clear of Tottenham.
The Italian has worked wonders with his 3-4-3 system that has seen Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses deployed as wing-backs.
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Similarly at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho has managed to get the best out of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo in defence.
And former Liverpool striker-turned-pundit Collymore believes both managers deserve praise for their efforts in improving their players.
“I always say a great manager will take poor players and make them better, average players and make them good, good players and make them exceptional,“ Collymore wrote in his column for The Mirror.
“And there are two very good examples of that in the Premier League this season.
“At Manchester United, Jose Mourinho has taken two average defenders – Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo – and made them very good as a centre-back pairing.
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“Antonio Conte has transformed Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso, two players who probably wouldn’t have got into many people’s Chelsea squad , never mind team, into crucial parts of a league-leading first XI.”
And former Liverpool striker-turned-pundit Collymore believes both managers deserve praise for their efforts in improving their players.
“I always say a great manager will take poor players and make them better, average players and make them good, good players and make them exceptional,“ Collymore wrote in his column for The Mirror.
“And there are two very good examples of that in the Premier League this season.
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“At Manchester United, Jose Mourinho has taken two average defenders – Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo – and made them very good as a centre-back pairing.
“Antonio Conte has transformed Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso, two players who probably wouldn’t have got into many people’s Chelsea squad , never mind team, into crucial parts of a league-leading first XI.”
Courtois: Chelsea can still win title without Costa
There aren’t many sides in the world that could stand to lose the league’s top goal-scorer (14 goals in 19 appearances this season; Chelsea have played 21 games) and still win the league title, but Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes that the current Blues squad is one that could hold onto its seven-point lead with 17 games remaining — quotes from FourFourTwo:
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“Of course we have enough quality to replace Diego. Diego is important for us, but if he’s not there for one game, we know we can handle it as well.
“Was this a message to our rivals? Yes, just to see Chelsea won 3-0 and that loss at Spurs didn’t affect us and we can play without Diego if need be. I think everybody hoped for us to drop points and we didn’t so that was very good.”
Eden Hazard has chipped in with nine goals of his own this season — his performances have been bordering on brilliance at points — while Pedro and Willian each have five league goals to their name.
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19 goals from three secondary-type scorers is what champions are made of, until you consider the only other true striker currently in the squad, 23-year-old Premier League newcomer Michy Batshuayi, has 1) made just 13 PL appearances (all as a substitute); 2) scored just once, all the way back in August.
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