Diego Costa: Chelsea top Premier League under Antonio Conte because players actually like him
Last season's shambles wasn't all down to Jose Mourinho but 'this manager is a bit friendlier and there is closeness'
CHELSEA top the Premier League because the players actually like him.
That's the view of Diego Costa, whose 14 league goals have taken the Blues five points clear of second-placed Liverpool with a game in hand.
Runaway Chelsea have 29 points more than at the same stage last season when they were defending their championship crown.
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Under Mourinho they were stranded just above the relegation zone.
Following Mourinho's dismissal technical director Michael Emenalo confirmed there was “palpable discord” between the manager and his squad.
Much has been made of Conte’s switch to a 3-4-3 formation but Costa insists a big reason behind Chelsea's 13-game unbeaten is the Italian’s warm coaching style.
“I think it’s really important for managers to be liked by his players because ultimately on the pitch, those players will give everything for their manager," he said.
“We have had a change of manager, he is working us hard, but people like him, which is important for everyone connected to the club because it creates a good atmosphere.
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"Sometimes you have managers that have to be the boss, but this manager is a bit friendlier and there is closeness there.
“It is really important to have that at your workplace for you to come in and feel happy. You need a good atmosphere and a bit of fun.
“When a game comes around, that’s the time to be serious. During the week the training sessions are serious, but away from there, you have to relax and switch off.
"If not, everything will be too regimented, too professional and I don’t like that, it’s not for me.”
But Costa, signed by Mourinho from Atletico Madrid for £32million in 2014, insists his former boss shouldn’t be blamed for everything that went wrong in failed Chelsea's title defence.
He told: “It’s important to be right physically. The team is in good shape physically at the moment. Nowadays in football it’s key that a player is physically right.
“We had a great manager in Mourinho, who gave us a lot in that first season [when Costa first joined the club]. But last season, things just didn’t go well for us.
“We knew we had to change things, it wasn’t just the manager’s fault. We had to put in that bit more too."