Chelsea star Diego Costa has hit out at English defenders for kicking him during Premier League games, according to reports from the Daily Star.
Costa made a £32million move from Atletico Madrid during the summer and has settled in nicely with the Blues, scoring 19 league goals in 23 games for Jose Mourinho’s men.
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However, the Spain international has been involved in several incidents this season, including a three-game suspension for a stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can and a tunnel bust up with Reds co-captain Jordan Henderson.
Now the Chelsea striker has come out to insist that he is trying to control his temper in the hopes of avoiding any more confrontation with the referees, but that he isn’t helped by his opponents constantly hacking him during the games.
"Some players try to put me out of the game,” he said.
"But I'm getting to control my temper better all the time, and I just set out to play my normal game.
"When I think about English defenders the word nobility doesn't come to mind. They kick me all the time, just like they did in Spain.
"But I don't complain. They go in hard on me, but over here the refs don't give me free kicks whereas they do in Spain.
"The Premier League is not over-rated. It is a tough league, with huge teams, and the small sides can beat you."
The 27-year-old is now sitting out of Spain duty with a hamstring injury, which has been largely criticised by the Spanish media as the player not showing enough commitment to the national set-up.
But Costa thinks otherwise, and feels he has just been unlucky not to be at full fitness for La Furia Roja.
He added: "I was in good form, I thought everything was finally going to work out. I really wanted to prove my form and my worth...
"My history with the national team is that it still hasn't really started. I haven't done anything yet.
"Sometimes it angers me that they put in doubt my commitment.
"I already proved that I'm enthusiastic and that I want to achieve success with the national team.
"The best way to silence the critics is to play and to do things well. But I haven't done that yet and hence, I have to listen and swallow it."
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