Jamie Carragher believes if he was playing against Diego Costa, he’d know how to handle him.
Carragher faced some of the world’s top strikers during his career, and he’s offered some advice on how to shackle combative opponents such as Costa, who love a battle on the pitch.
In his column for the Daily Mail, the former Liverpool defender argued that reverse psychology is often the best way forward.
“If I had to play against Costa, I’d treat him the same as I did Didier Drogba,” said Carragher.
“Making Drogba angry was the worst thing you could do, so the first thing I would try would be to make him think that we were friends, shaking hands with him before the game.
“Once the game started, of course, you would be aggressive and firm in your challenges. If Didier was on the floor, I’d make a point of asking him if he was OK and help him up.
“The key was to never look for trouble. If you wound Drogba up, he could be unstoppable.”
Perhaps a suggestion worth following for Premier League centre-backs.
