Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has gone from strength to strength this season and has showcased how ‘very special’ he’s been under Unai Emery.
Konsa was acquired from Brentford for £12 million in the summer of 2019 and arrived as a highly-rated Championship defender.
The 26-year-old has since made 161 appearances so far but it’s only since Unai Emery arrived at the club that he’s been transformed into a quality defender.
A ball-playing centre-back, who was hailed as an “incredible player” by teammate Matty Cash, has since shown those qualities in abundance under the Spaniard’s tutelage.
How has Ezri Konsa performed under Unai Emery?
Konsa has been ever-present in the Villa defence, especially since Tyrone Mings sustained a long-term injury at the start of the season, featuring in all but one match this term and showing how comfortable he is at bringing the ball out from defence.
This is demonstrated by where he ranks among his positional peers in the Premier League this term.
According to FBref, the Englishman ranks in the top 15% for pass completion, top 6% for successful take-ons and top 13% for non-penalty xG.
The above statistics suggest that former manager Dean Smith was right to label him as a “Rolls-Royce” having displayed an elegance in possession that warrants such comparisons.
Whilst he’s been key to establishing an easy-on-the-eye style under Emery, he’s also shone from a defensive perspective.
He’s transformed into a defensive brute, making 1.87 tackles and 1.09 interceptions per game, while playing a huge role in helping Villa establish the best home record in the league with eight wins from eight and only five goals conceded.
The £75k-a-week titan has even shown his versatility in recent weeks by dislodging Matty Cash from his right-back position.
Ezri Konsa has put in ‘very special’ performances at right back
In Villa’s three consecutive Premier League victories against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Arsenal, Konsa has played as a right-back instead of Cash in all three.
This tactical tweak from Emery has proven pivotal in their impressive run of form.
Although Cash is better going forward, Konsa is astute defensively and in the victory over Man City, in particular, he was magnificent.
He was up against the likes of Phil Foden and the imperious Erling Haaland, but the 26-year-old put in a display that was described by Pat Nevin as “very special”.
Konsa won all five of his ground duels, made three tackles and was dribbled past on zero occasions, as per Sofascore.
After putting in yet another special display against Arsenal to stop Gabriel Martinelli and co, it is clear that Cash will struggle to break back into Emery’s plans in the coming weeks.
