Aston Villa have had a remarkable 2023/24 campaign thanks to the influence of Unai Emery, with one Villan not only thought of as the club’s ‘best’ in his position but one of the best in the Premier League.
It would be difficult to single out who Aston Villa’s top-five players have been this season, with every figure having contributed to the highs that Unai Emery’s side have experienced so far.
Considering that three months into the 2022/23 campaign, Villa were occupying spaces near the bottom of the table, it’s astounding just how much the club has developed since the manager’s arrival.
Now fighting for a fourth-place finish and European silverware, the Midlands club are on their way back to the big time, with all credit going to Emery and his ambitious squad.
From Ollie Watkins’ 31 goal contributions in the Premier League so far, to Pau Torres’ stellar first season in England, there are a host of players regarded as the top dogs at Villa, with one player thought of as ‘the best’ in his position.
Ezri Konsa hailed as ‘the best’ defender at Aston Villa
It’s been a huge campaign for Ezri Konsa, who has been utilised at both right-back and centre-back in Emery’s backline, with his performances earning him his international debut for England.
Konsa is highly regarded at Villa and now at international level, with journalist John Townley explaining just how good the 26-year-old is for his club when speaking on the Claret and Blue Podcast.
“Being a defender, and as reliable as he is, there’s no one that you’d play in front of Konsa, even if we were to sign two new centre-backs.
“He’s had this whole thing throughout his Villa career of ‘we sign this player, will he replace Konsa, no’, he’s just overcome each one to the point where it’s like, well actually, he’s the best defender that we have.”
It’s significant praise from the Villa journalist towards Konsa, with other defenders in Villa’s ranks also performing at a high level this term, however, numbers prove that Townley may even be thinking too low in his estimation of the Englishman’s quality.
Ezri Konsa is one of Aston Villa’s best defenders and one of the Premier League’s best
This season, the numbers and the eye will tell you that Konsa has been one of Villa’s best-performing defenders, consistently acting as an exemplary figure at the back for Emery.
As per WhoScored, when it comes to defenders with more than 15 Premier League appearances this term, the England international is the best at the club for his rate of interceptions (0.8), blocks (0.6) and pass completion rate (92.7%), per game.
Outside of Villa, the 26-year-old ranks as one of the best in the league throughout this season for his efforts at centre-back, as detailed in the graph below.
Ezri Konsa vs Premier League centre-backs 2023/24
| Per 90 Average | Premier League rank | |
| Challenges lost | 0.10 | Bottom 3% |
| % Dribblers tackled | 87.5% | Top 2% |
| Long pass completion % | 73.9% | Top 10% |
| Successful take-ons | 0.58 | Top 6% |
The Londoner has shown his worth at right-back and in central defence this term, proving himself as one of the top defenders in the Premier League, consistently showing his quality to Emery.
With Tyrone Mings due to be re-integrated into the side next season after recovering from his gruelling ACL injury on the first day of the campaign, it will be interesting to see what Emery considers to be his favoured back line.
