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Juanfran defends Chelsea striker Diego Costa as his Spanish goal-drought continues
ATLETICO MADRID star Juanfran has defended Chelsea striker Diego Costa for his international goal-drought, claiming he's simply not receiving the service.
Costa took 205-minutes to open his competitive account for Atletico Madrid, and just 17-minutes to net after his £32m Stamford Bridge switch during the summer.
But the Blues talisman has now played over six-and-a-half hours of football for Spain without scoring a single goal.
Costa is the subject of intense scrutiny from Spanish fans looking to scapegoat someone for their shocking 2-1 defeat to Slovakia blast night.
He’s committed and sooner or later he will start scoring goals
But his former Atletico team-mate has leaped to his defence, he said: "He’s not getting the scoring chances he’s getting with his club team.
"He’s committed and sooner or later he will start scoring goals. We need to be patient with him. On Sunday [against Luxembourg], everything will be fine."
Jose Mourinho is likely to be somewhat irked by Vicente del Bosque's 90-minute use of Costa - especially considering the Spaniard's promise to protect him.