The new prolific additions to the Premier League this season have been the former Atletico players, Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa. While the former has been acquired by Manchester United from Monaco, the Spanish striker was signed by Chelsea as their solution upfront. While both are known lethal in front of goal, when compared, their individualistic characteristics set them apart from each other.
Radamel Falcao (21.00 for Top Goalscorer at Bet365), coined as El Tigre (The Tiger) by Atletico fans is known for his wildly raw reflexes in front of goal which makes him a goal keeper’s worst nightmare. Standing tall with a height of 5’9”, Falcao is hard to miss on the pitch. Despite his physical presence, and strong built, he is quick on his feet and has the stealth to outrun a defender. If not that, his strong touch is enough to retain possession of the ball and lead it to goal. All of these qualities make him the perfect choice for Manchester United’s aggressive and robust style of play.
Diego Costa (1.83 for Top Goalscorer at Bet365) on the other hand, who is on the road to having a successful debut season for Chelsea is more about finesse than ruggedness when it comes to goal scoring. Though neither is shy to score a goal with power but Costa possesses an element of surprise to his style of play and has proven to be more of an overall player than Falcao.
During his time at Atletico, Diego Costa scored 56 goals in the 86 games he started while Falcao started in 88 games and has a record of scoring 70 goals for the club. In the current season, Costa has been most impressive with 9 goals in 8 appearances for the Blues so far. Falcao hasn’t been any less impressive despite the slow start to this year because of injuries. He has scored 3 goals in the four games he has played for United up till now.
When it comes to International platform, an injury spell made Falcao’s contribution to Columbia’s participation in the World Cup impossible. Due to this, not much can be said about how they fared in the world cup but Diego Costa had been a let-down for Spain. His unfortunate run continues when he once again failed to perform up to par in the friendly on Friday when Spain failed to win against Slovakia.
While both have had unfortunate spells on International platform, the former Atletico players seem to have started their debut seasons for their respective clubs phenomenally. Costa proves to be more of an overall player when it comes to goal scoring ability, and Falcao is more apt to the style of United which is more aggressive and upfront. The true measure of their skills could be weighed when they face each other in the United vs Chelsea clash to be held on October 26th. The Blues are on top of the league while United are back in top four after a struggling start to the Premier League.
Both clubs have star-studded midfield but it would be down to these two strikers to influence the result with their goal scoring skills. Whether Costa will continue to strengthen Chelsea’s hold on top spot or will Falcao help United end Chelsea’s unbeatable run is yet to be seen. But it is clear that these two are the most dangerous forwards in the Premier League this season.
