Jose Mourinho and the media seem to agree that the fitness of Diego Costa will be a key factor in whether Chelsea will retain their Premier League title.
This is based on the huge impact that Costa had last season and the unimpressive performances at the weekend by Loic Remy and debutant Radamel Falcao.
Yet this seems to underestimate the quality and value that Remy and Falcao could potentially offer the Blues should Costa miss a significant portion of the season.
Costa last season was a revelation for Chelsea and the key difference between the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. He scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season despite injury and suspension ruling him out of a third of the season (26 out of 38 games played).
In theory Chelsea have two more than able replacements. Loic Remy impressed last season for Chelsea despite limited appearances and is a proven Premier League performer, whereas at his peak Falcao is one of the best strikers in the world.
Yet at the weekend Loic Remy looked off the pace and Falcao did little to stake a claim during his cameo appearance. We are still in pre-season so I do not think Chelsea fans should be overly concerned.
He may not influence the game the way that Costa does but given the opportunity Remy will score goals, should he get opportunities. This is clear given that last season he managed to get nine goals despite the majority of his 29 appearances coming from the bench.
As for Falcao the impact he can have will depend on whether the striker can be injury free and inspired under the tutelage of Mourinho. It looks like at the start of the season he will be third choice but with all the variables he could quickly find himself starting regularly.
The prospect of a large part of the season might be daunting for Chelsea fans, but in Remy they have an able deputy and the support players to feed him the kind of opportunities he thrives on.
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