The Spain international has been in superb form this season and is proving himself to be the closest thing to the Ivorian the latest Blues squad has at its disposal

Diego Costa is raging, roaring and foaming at the mouth for success, and that is just how Antonio Conte likes it as he builds his team around his own Didier Drogba.

Just like Jose Mourinho and Drogba, Conte and Costa are a match made in heaven. Both are terrible losers and fighters who do everything they can to avoid disappointment.

Despite the arrival of Michy Batshuayi from Marseille for £33 million, there is still no doubt that Costa is Chelsea's main man, starting his club's first four league games and rewarding Conte with four crucial goals.

Two last minute winners in the opening two matches of the campaign were followed by a late equaliser against Swansea City, and Costa's goals alone have earned the Blues five points already this season.

Conte has been trying to control his talismanic striker, who unlike Drogba tends to find himself on the wrong side of the referee more often than not, but admitted that he sees a little of himself in Costa.

"I like it when a player shows his passion for this sport," he said. "It's fantastic. We do this work but, for us, it's not work it's a passion.

"It's important to transfer this to our fans and all the people who watch the game. For us, this is not work."

Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2014, Costa has built up an impressive record, scoring 36 goals and providing 10 assists in just 58 appearances. In comparison, Drogba only managed 24 goals and 16 assists in the same length of time.

However, at the same point of last season Costa was beginning to look out of his depth. Having returned overweight from a poorly organised pre-season tour, he only managed one goal in his first four games as Chelsea produced relegation form.

The Spain international faded into the background before being dropped in the weeks leading up to the sacking of Mourinho.

These moments were tough for the win-at-all-costs centre forward, and interest from Champions League finalists and former club, Atletico Madrid, almost tempted him into a move away from London this summer.

Conte's energetic style was enough to convince Costa and a number of other high-profile squad members to stay, though, with the Italian choosing to revive talent rather than replace it.

Conte has been winning titles with players with less ability than Costa. At Juventus he won league titles with the likes of Alessandro Matri, Mirko Vucinic, Fabio Quagliarella and Fernando Llorente leading the line. All are good players in their own right, but none can hold a candle to Costa while some may even struggle to oust Batshuayi from the matchday squad despite the Belgian's inexperience.

Conte eventually managed to sign a warrior in the shape of Carlos Tevez, and the former Manchester United and City man dominated the scoring charts in Serie A. Conte must see a similar spirit in his Costa when he is at his devastating best

Warrior on the pitch and a joker off it - Costa is a complex character who has a manager with the patience and the intelligence to deal with all types of characters. Costa can find a man he can respect who has done it as a player and a manager with Conte offering one-to-one meetings with his players whenever they need it.

Just like Mourinho and Drogba, this new pairing of a manager and his striker can become a feature of Chelsea successes for many years to come.