Ezri Konsa excels with added Aston Villa responsibility as 94th percentile ace shines after Tyrone Mings’ injury
When Tyrone Mings went down with an injury during the opening-day clash between Aston Villa and Newcastle, many worried how Unai Emery’s side would fare.
But in the England international’s absence, Ezri Konsa has stepped up in the Aston Villa backline and led from defence in a manner not too dissimilar to that of Mings and it is clear that the 25-year-old is relishing the opportunity to step up.
Konsa has started all seven of Emery’s side’s Premier League games this season and alongside Pau Torres and Diego Carlos has proven to be the most consistent centre-back in the squad at Villa Park and he has been happy with how he has adapted to his new role.
As quoted by Birmingham Live (4 October) he said: “I have always felt like I have always had to add more leadership to my game. I have played alongside Tyrone for many years and I felt like he was the one that was the leader.
“I just used to basically go off him and use him as a guide. Now, it’s unfortunate that he got his injury and we are all behind him, but I feel like it’s time for me to take on that responsibility and help the players that I am playing alongside.”
In defence Konsa has been a force for attackers to reckon with, averaging two tackles per 90 minutes and winning an average of 1.29 of them, a figure that places him in the 83rd percentile of defenders in the Premier League [Fbref, 4 October].
What has been most noticeable is the area of the pitch in which the 25-year-old has completed his tackles, with his average of 0.29 tackles per match in the attacking third of the pitch, placing him in the 94th percentile of all his positional peers.
Konsa has been similarly impressive in the middle third of the pitch, falling in the top 12 per cent of defenders for tackles per 90 minutes and the only area of the pitch where he falls below the average for tackles is in the final third.
When the Aston Villa man enters a duel he very rarely loses, only losing 0.14 challenge a game and he tackles 85.7 per cent of players that attempt to dribble past him. He has really imposed his presence as one of the toughest defenders in the Premier League to run at.
On the ball the 25-year-old has impressed further, completing 83.3 per cent of his long passes, a figure worthy of a place in the 95th percentile, although given Emery’s style of play he only attempts this sport of pass less than five times a game.
But in terms of short passing Konsa is typically accurate with an average completion rate of 95.6 per cent, meaning he very rarely surrenders possession to the opposition in the most crucial moments of matches.
Having only recently signed a new deal at Villa Park for the next five years, Aston Villa fans will get to see plenty more of the defender in the coming years and you would have to imagine given his improved leadership skills he will be on Gareth Southgate’s radar for a potential England call-up.
In other Aston Villa, Douglas Luiz looks set to break his scoring record given his impressive start to the season