Ezri Konsa puts any lingering Diego Carlos questions to bed with impeccable performance v Fulham
When Diego Carlos returned to first-team training in February following his ruptured Achilles injury, it was presumed Ezri Konsa was the natural player to make way in the Aston Villa starting lineup.
However, since Aston Villa’s official website announced (21 February) that the Brazilian had rejoined first-team training for the first time since August, Konsa has helped the club record seven clean sheets from just ten Premier League outings.
This remarkable defensive run has seen Unai Emery’s side keep five consecutive clean sheets at Villa Park, with the Englishman forging an unbreakable partnership alongside the rejuvenated Tyrone Mings.
Considering the stellar form of Konsa – which was once again displayed against Fulham on Tuesday (25 April) night – any question marks about the centre-backs position in the team have quickly evaporated into thin air.
During the 1-0 win against Marco Silva’s side, Konsa recorded the highest pass success of any player at 96% and the most passes of any Villa’s starting lineup (71/74). [Sofascore]
The ex-Brentford has often been regarded as the more steady and less progressive passer out of him and Mings, however, the four passes he recorded into the final third suggest otherwise.
Off the ball, Konsa managed to negate any threats that Fulham threw at him, including the arrival of the strong and powerful Carlos Vinicius in the second half.
Even as The Cottagers piled the pressure on in the second half of the encounter, Konsa remained impeccable in the tackle, winning 100% of his ground duels (4/4) and 100% of his aerial duels (1/1) as well as recording a team-high seven clearances.
Considering Aston Villa signed the Englishman for a mere £12million, he is quickly becoming one of the shrewdest pieces of business the club have partaken in over the last few years.
After watching Konsa’s standout form, Carlos must be sitting on the bench wondering what he has to do to force his way back into Emery’s first-team plans.
Right now, there’s really not much he can do apart from watching Konsa and Mings continue to deliver defensive masterclasses on a weekly basis.
In other Aston Villa news, this ace deserves a new contract after obvious improvements under Emery.