Sunday 8 November 2015 18:52, UK
The time has come for Diego Costa to be dropped by Chelsea, according to the Sunday Supplement panel.
The striker drew a blank again as Chelsea fell to a seventh league defeat of the season at Stoke on Saturday and has scored just twice in the Premier League this term.
Chelsea's best chance fell to Costa's fellow striker Loic Remy as he hurdled goalkeeper Jack Butland rather than taking the contact and winning a likely penalty.
"Loic Remy was honest. If he had just clattered into the keeper it would have given the referee a big decision to make," said Charlie Wyett of The Sun.
"But at least Loic Remy got into that position and that's why I think they have got to drop Diego Costa.
"In terms of struggling defensively they have been but up front they are lacking. Costa shouldn't have played against Liverpool because he wasn't fit.
"He struggled again in the week against Dynamo Kiev and again at Stoke. Chelsea just don't have enough options. Falcao is obviously a joke summer signing and he's been ineffective when he's been on the bench.
"I thought last week the fact Christian Benteke was on the bench for Liverpool, that's the type of player Chelsea should have on the bench."
Costa was often praised last season for his aggressive, win-at-all-costs attitude but as his form has slipped, his combative style is becoming more of a distraction than a help, according to the Guardian's Dominic Fifield.
"Costa's a real issue for Chelsea," he said.
"It was five minutes in when he did the little flick of the heel on the touchline after winning a corner and you just think he's back into that mode of being more interested in winding up opponents than actually scoring goals. That must be infuriating.
"In midweek that incident with Dynamo Kiev centre back Dragovic happened after 25 seconds. It just happens every week and it's infuriating.
"This is a player who has had the backing of his manager through two disciplinary respective punishments. He should be out there giving his all to score goals and making an effort in the six yard box.
"He might drag players out of position and he is showing aggression towards defenders to unsettle them but he's preoccupied with that and he's not offering Chelsea any cutting edge at all. They need to find an answer in January to give them a bit of cutting edge up front because at the moment it's not Diego Costa."
Indeed, Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday feels that the reason more has not been made of Costa's dip in form is because of the "irrelevant spats" he continues to get involved in.
"His antics are camouflaging the fact he's not at the races," Holt said. "I thought he was really poor at Stoke.
"Some of the Chelsea players were excellent but he lost the ball really carelessly a lot of times.
"It seems as though he's thinking that the more he plays up and gets involved in these pointless, irrelevant spats it's going to camouflage the fact he's not actually delivering."
