Although Chelsea striker Diego Costa has scored seven goals for Chelsea in his first four Premier League games, club manager, Jose Mourinho said the Brazilian-born Spaniard cannot play more than once a week because of a hamstring problem. Mourinho, looking down in the dumps after Chelsea could only draw 1-1 with Schalke 04 in their opening Champions League Group G match on Wednesday, started with returning veteran striker Didier Drogba in attack with Costa on the bench against the Germans.
Costa, who cost Chelsea $52 when he joined from Atletico Madrid in the summer, replaced Drogba in the 74th minute, but could not keep up his remarkable scoring record which includes four goals in pre-season and seven in the League including his hat-trick against Swansea City on Saturday. Mourinho said Costa’s injury is not connected to one he suffered towards the end of last season and which restricted him to just the first nine minutes when he played for Atletico against Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League final.
Costa picked up the injury in Spain’s 1-0 defeat to France on September 4 and Mourinho said he could not play more than one match a week for the time being. “If he has one week to let the muscle recover he can start. He played on Saturday and was not in condition to start the game today (Wednesday). It was not to protect Costa for the game against Manchester City on Sunday, it was because he was not in condition to start the game,” Mourinho said.
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