Diego Costa used his three-match ban to work on long-term fitness

Diego Costa is finally set to return to the Chelsea first team, following his three-match ban for violent conduct earned in the 2-0 victory over Arsenal. While his absence has certainly hurt Chelsea on the pitch, Costa told Chelsea TV that he believes the solo training he did during that enforced break could actually help with his long term fitness:

"It has been really important for me. I have been able to train with my own specific schedule to help me get better and better. The sessions have been good and I have been able to benefit from being here. I have been working on what I needed to work on and I am happy about that."

I don't for a second believe that Costa is actually happy about missing Premier League matches, but it's good to hear that he's been using his time off in a manner that could benefit the team in the long run. Hopefully it doesn't take the Spanish international to long to find his form, now, as we desperately need him to start firing if we're going to start the long process of climbing up the table.