LONDON — The plan that Arsenal defenders Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding hatched to stymie Chelsea’s Diego Costa in last season’s F.A. Cup final was little more than a variation on the old good cop/bad cop routine.
Mertesacker, the veteran German, was cast as the former, tasked with being “friendly” to the tempestuous Costa, “patting him on the back.” The job for the inexperienced Holding, in contrast, was to “give him a really hard time,” Mertesacker said.
After one encounter, Holding, his gaze locked on Costa, tapped a finger against his own temple, the internationally recognized sign alleging mental instability.