Diego Carlos long-ball tendency could ruin chances of taking Ezri Konsa spot at Aston Villa
Aston Villa centre-back Diego Carlos is set to return from his ruptured Achilles tendon over the international break, and the big question on every supporter’s mind is the makeup of Unai Emery’s defence.
The former Sevilla player, who moved to Villa Park last summer on a £26million fee, has featured just once in the Premier League this season before being sidelined with his horrific injury.
But after returning to first-team training a fortnight ago and featuring on the bench for Aston Villa’s 3-0 win against Bournemouth, the most likely option is for the 30-year-old to be fighting for the remaining centre-back spot with Ezri Konsa.
After a sluggish start to the season, Konsa has been in brilliant form lately, keeping three clean sheets in his last four outings in the Premier League alongside Tyrone Mings.
Part of the Englishman’s vast improvements since Emery’s arrival has been his ability in possession of the football and the patient build-up play he and Mings have adapted their games to include.
When assessing the passing stats of both Konsa and Carlos, the Englishman suits Emery’s needs better than the Brazilian.
According to the Opta-powered stats on FBREF, over the last year, Konsa is in the 57th percentile of centre-backs for the number of short passes completed per 90 minutes, compared to Carlos, who sits in the 49th percentile.
The ex-Brentford defender also has a higher pass completion rate (91.2 % for short passes) than Carlos, a trait that Emery depends on heavily.
What is interesting to note is that Carlos attempts far more medium and long-range passes than Konsa – Carlos with 7.44 long passes per 90 compared to Konsa’s 3.15 – and the fact that this doesn’t entirely fit into Emery’s playbook.
The Spanish manager prefers his centre-backs to remain patient with the ball at their feet and only go long when under severe pressure from the opposition press.
The reason that Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz hold such importance to Emery is their ability to effectively drop into a back-five and help to build up attacks from deep.
Two of Aston Villa’s finest recent goals against Arsenal and Crystal Palace came through this style of play, with Mings and Konsa starting with the ball before Kamara progressed it forward up the pitch.
Before Carlos is drafted straight back into the team after his injury layoff, Emery must ensure he is fully comfortable playing short passes into the midfield under pressure.
In other Aston Villa news, the club could climb into the Europa League places if they sign the Premier League midfielder that Emery is “crazy” about.