COMMENT: Diego Costa. What's he doin'?! Seriously, what is the guy thinking...?

You have to feel for Antonio Conte. He's trying to shake a squad out of a year-long lethargy. He's trying to introduce a new spirit of unity. He's sacked staff in order to lift player morale (more on that later). And yet, there he was. Diego. In Michigan. As bold as brass.

After Chelsea's defeat to Real Madrid, the Blues striker caught up with Spain teammate Sergio Ramos - right in front of the TV cameras (just look below). And he let the world know that if it wasn't for Kevin Gameiro, he'd be an Atletico player today. Just charmin'. Just what Conte needed...

It's bad enough that Conte's hopes for a smooth transfer market haven't been met. He's having to stick square pegs in round holes. With Romelu Lukaku still in the Blue of Everton - and not Chelsea - Conte is now experimenting with Eden Hazard as a second striker. Similar to how he employed Carlos Tevez at Juventus. But Hazard wasn't his first choice. Indeed, as Carlos told us himself, it was the Argentine Conte wanted to buzz around his centre-forward. But he's having to make do with what he has.

But at least Hazard is committed. His brother, Kylian, said as much last week, insisting Eden is happy in London and has had no thoughts of pushing for a move away. Unfortunately, the same now can't be said of Diego Costa.

And the nagging concern has to be that inside Chelsea, Diego's attitude is not isolated. We can talk about weaknesses in certain positions. A lack of quality in other areas. But the overwhelming factor that condemned Chelsea to their mid-table finish last season was the attitude of some senior players.

This is the biggest obstacle facing Conte. Costa is prime suspect number one. But he wasn't alone.

Has Conte has gone too far to accommodate Thibaut Courtois? Sure, he's now committed himself for this season. But away with the Belgium squad this summer, speaking with local reporters, he was anything but devoted to the Blues cause. Conte has now convinced Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, to remove keeper coach Christophe Lollichon in order to keep Courtois happy. This a year after management, against Jose Mourinho's wishes, agreed to grant Petr Cech a free transfer to Arsenal. Again, just to keep their Belgian keeper smiling.

So what happens if Courtois doesn't change? What if again, this season, he pipes up, talking to anyone who'll listen that he sees his career beyond Cobham? How is that going to go down inside the locker room? How will teammates feel after seeing management turn over tables to please him?

Conte's no soft touch. And he will argue that having Lollichon pushed aside allowed him to bring in his own man, Gianluca Spinelli, to work with Chelsea's keepers. But it was no secret that Courtois and the Frenchman didn't get along. And no matter how you slice it, player power won this one. After seven years on the Cobham training pitch and countless managerial changes, Lollichon, after friction with the club's senior goalkeeper makes it to the public arena (and for the first time) suddenly loses his job? C'mon...

Off the pitch, there's no escaping it: Conte's beginning as Chelsea manager has been difficult. His shopping list has not been met. He's lost Branislav Ivanovic to a dislocated shoulder. And his senior striker continues to tell us all he wants out.

But there has been promise in preseason. Perhaps Chelsea's rejuvenation under the new manager won't come from outside, but within. Namely, the long neglected academy.

Ola Aina has played a full 90 in both games of their US tour. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Bertrand Traore have also started the two International Champions Cup ties. And Conte has admitted he's already seen enough to convince him that the kids can make a contribution this season: “There are many players with a good prospect for Chelsea.

"I don't know why in the past a few players have played with the first team."

Ouch! Are you watching, Jose?

Yeah, the kids will be hit-and-miss. They won't be all John Terrys. Perhaps, none of them will. But they offer a connection to the club and fans that the likes Diego Costa could never hope to. Aina and Loftus-Cheek are Chelsea through-and-through. Traore the same - how could he not after spending two years at the club without actually being allowed to play? Chelsea is the biggest thing in their lives. They're there for the club, not the other way around.

For all our questions about the attitude of the senior players. And how Conte can develop a spirit of unity and commitment to the club. The answer could be laying on the manager's doorstep.