Oscar and Diego Costa involved in training ground bust-up - report

Chelsea might have had a lot of apparent harmony within the squad in the win against Crystal Palace but this doesn't seem to be case completely at Cobham. According to the Telegraph (and others), Diego Costa and Oscar have been the protagonists of a training bust-up today.

It's claimed that the Brazilian attacking midfielder was the first offender with a 'particularly hefty tackle' made on Costa's knee during an intense training session. Infuriated by the challenge, Costa initiated the bust-up, as both started to exchange words before other Chelsea players got involved and broke the scene apart. (Ed.'s note:  Costa's reaction was undoubtedly surprising, given his usually docile nature that would normally make him shrink from any sort of verbal or physical confrontation.  Such a pushover, that Costa.)

Still, the Telegraph reports that manager Guus Hiddink has no worries over resentment due to the brawl since the incident quickly became subject for jokes exchanged in the dressing room. (Ed.'s note: That's probably because Hiddink's a man of common sense, and dressing rooms are a dynamic environment where emotions come and go quickly.)

This is not the first time that we hear about an altercation happening at Chelsea's training ground this season. Last month, there were reports that Cesc Fàbregas issued a hard challenge on Chelsea youngster Charly Musonda after the academy player nutmegged the midfielder in a training session, with the pair also exchanging words after the incident.  (Ed.'s note: That incident was so incredibly damaging that we haven't lost a match since!)

Despite our recent results under Guus Hiddink's leadership, Chelsea's 2015-16 season hasn't been 'salvaged' yet and it's almost certain that the players are under high pressure, which is something bound to ignite stressful episodes like this one. Either way, if they manage to focus these training efforts into performances on the pitch for the remainder of the season, we shouldn't worry too much about our chances in the the FA Cup and in the Champions League.

(Ed.'s note: One thing that may be worth mentioning are the reports that Hiddink seems to prefer more "game-situation" training with matches and small-sides games, etc.  These are far more likely to produce stories such as this one, especially when the commitment level is high.  We must resist the temptation to read too much into such things.)