character and his behaviour", but retains the backing of
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque still has faith in Diego Costa,
but called on the volatile Chelsea striker to "smooth out his
character".
Costa is in line to make his international return against England
on the back of a six-match scoreless run at club level for the
misfiring Premier League champions.
The 27-year-old was suspended for Spain's Euro 2016 qualifier
against Luxembourg last month and as a result did not feature
in Del Bosque's squad for the closing match of his country's
successful campaign against Ukraine three days later.
The Brazilian-born forward has endured a disappointing
international career for Spain, with a solitary goal from nine
caps, while his domestic performances this season have
arguably become more noticeable for on-field confrontations
with opponents.
Nevertheless, Del Bosque insists Costa is in his squad on merit
and offered sympathy for the impact of Chelsea's plight on his
player's form, with Jose Mourinho's men sitting 16th.
"We all know his character and we don't feel we pick him
because we owe him anything," Del Bosque said.
"He was picked because we believe in him, it is a question of
confidence.
"Maybe he should smooth out his character and his behaviour,
but we believe in him.
"I think when a team isn't playing well it's not down to a single
element and with Chelsea not playing well this season all of
their elements are being affected by it."
Del Bosque refused to confirm whether it would be Iker Casillas
or David de Gea starting in goal for the match in Alicante, while
he conceded that Gerard Pique is once again set to face booing
from his own supporters.
Pique's standing with Spain fans has fallen over recent months,
during which time the Barcelona defender expressed his support
for Catalan independence.
"I'd be surprised if it [the booing] had changed," Del Bosque
said. "There seems to be a current nowadays which is very hard
to change."
England head into the match having won all 10 of their Euro
2016 qualifiers and Del Bosque expects a tough encounter.
"They are a great team with great players so if they were a bit
more organised then they would be really great," he added.
"But also they have won 10 games in the qualifiers so we know
they are good."
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