Diego Costa’s International Goal Drought Was Simply Down To Bad Luck

By Lou Flavius @LouFlavius on October 12, 2014

Spanish international Diego Costa has finally put an end to his goal-scoring drought for Las Rojas. The striker scored in the 69th minute to give Spain a 3-0 lead over Luxembourg in their European Cup Qualifying match on Sunday. Costa left the pitch a relieved man when he was substituted in the 83rd minute, and the Spaniards would go on to end the game at 4-0.

Costa’s goal was no screamer; actually, it was quite shabby, but he won’t be losing any sleep. He is off the mark for his new-found national team and that is all that matters right now. His goal drought was mystifying, scoring for fun at club level, but unable to replicate his prowess once he threw on the Spanish jersey.

Blame was attached to many things; injury, tactics, formations, his manager and the aging teammates around him. While all of these factors could have contributed to the striker’s lack of goals in some way, I believe that it was simply down to bad luck.

Vincente Del Bosque‘s World Cup/Euro Cup winning tactics are somewhat anachronistic. The world has gotten used to tiki taka, and the ideology does not suit Costa. The forward is used to being deployed in a system which is more direct, having played under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, and currently playing for Jose Mourinho‘s Chelsea.

It was evident that Del Bosque did not set his team up to play to Costa’s strengths during the World Cup. Their bad run continued into the last two international breaks, having already lost to France and Slovakia respectively. Spain – which sandwiched the 2010 World Cup trophy between two Euro Cups — is no longer a threat as most of the players are indubitably past their best.

Del Bosque used the false No. 9 formation to devastating effect with Cesc Fabregas as the focal point, also unleashing either David Villa or Fernando Torres up front. Costa is a different breed of striker. He is not as fast as Villa and Torres used to be, but he is probably stronger than the two of them combined, and his movement is scary.

The Brazilian is able to play with his back to the goal and can hold up the ball while teammates make runs, he provides a different option for Spain so there is need for mutual adaptation.

Costa is still suffering from a hamstring injury, but that hasn’t stopped him from scoring nine goals in only seven games for Chelsea. His drought was certainly puzzling, but I think that way too much was made of it. The striker simply needed time to adjust to an unfamiliar system, and luck was not forthcoming.

The pressure to score must have been immense, he was the most scrutinized player on the pitch and his frustration was visible. He could only cover his face with his shirt after he hit a lofted shot which beat both the keeper and the goal. He also picked up a yellow card for a silly challenge.

Before his goal on Sunday, Costa had his fair share of shots — most of which were on target. He constantly threatened the defense, and worked hard all game. His drive to succeed is quite admirable; while another striker would have probably shied away, Costa kept putting himself in scoring positions, and sure enough, the goal came.

Strangely, he did not celebrate; probably due to the quick embrace he received from his teammates, or the fact that he was just too relieved.

Now that the proverbial monkey is off his back, Costa could relax. It took him seven games to score for Spain, but if Del Bosque builds his squad around this prolific striker, he could lead them to another European trophy in 2016.

Lou Flavius is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @LouFlavius , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.