‘Everyone thinks he’s an angry guy but he’s smarter now’
Gary Cahill has praised his Chelsea teammate Diego Costa, claiming he’s much smarter than he used to be.
Cahill scored an own goal against Manchester City at the Etihad on Saturday lunchtime, but Costa’s equaliser in the second half helped Chelsea battle to a 3-1 win to remain top of the Premier League.
“You expect to have to soak up some pressure when you are playing Manchester City away from home,” Cahill said. “They were on top in the first half and went a goal up but it never really rocked us too much mentally. We knew we were still in the game and I thought we played a lot more football in the second half and showed what we can do. Maybe they tired a bit but it was still a very tough game.
“Their team is full of good players, as is ours, but when you get this sort of momentum behind you it is easier to try and keep on winning. Every time we go out it’s a case of ‘we can’t lose this one’, but I think that is a good pressure to have on ourselves. Every individual is working hard and we are playing good football. We are delighted to come through a game like that and take three points from a top side.”
“I think we are seeing more composure from Diego this season,” Cahill said. “I know everyone thinks he is an angry guy but you can see a smarter player now. We were starved of the ball in the first half and so was he, and in the last few years maybe he gets frustrated at that. But this time he kept his cool and got more involved in the second half and when he does that he is one of the best going. He has been fantastic this season, showing maturity and still banging the goals in. He’s on fire at the minute and I hope it continues.”
By Ben Kelly
