I think this problem was accentuated by Costa although I agree Conte probably could have handled it better in hindsight. My take on the debacle was that Conte felt betrayed by Costa after he downed tools after getting his head turned by interest by an Athletico return (around December). I think at that point Conte had to cut a deal with Costa to get him back on board otherwise the meltdown would have spilled over into the rest of the dressing room and with the Spuds hanging on to our shirt tails it was a good move in my view.
I think Conte was hopeful that Costa after winning the leauge with us would have changed his POV. Conte sent all the players a text before there holidays thanking them again for their efforts but Costa returned to Conte a sarcastically stinging text. Hence the final one he got back telling him to piss off in as much. I don't think there was anyway Costa was not going to rejoin Athletico but it was a shame it was made so public by Costa.
Conte is known as a authoritarian in the game and expects loyalty and hard work as a default. I would hate to see Luiz go the same way as he was one of many stand out players during our winning season. I think he needs to get all the players together somewhere for a few days and get them all back on board. Well, here's hoping.
