Aston Villa: Danny Murphy slams Ezri Konsa for what he did v Tottenham, could cost top four
Aston Villa suffered a major blow to their Champions League hopes as they were thrashed by Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park in a crucial Premier League clash.
Unai Emery’s side never managed to get out of second gear as they were pulled apart by Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs who ran out 4-0 winners on Sunday (10 March) after John McGinn’s second-half red card.
While very few if any of Emery’s team came away with any credit, Ezri Konsa in particular received some criticism from Danny Murphy for dwelling on the ball before playing a loose pass in the build-up to Spurs’ opener.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 (Sunday 10 March, 39:49) he said: “There are no options for Konsa, he dwells on it for too long, they knick it off him and this is at 1-0. The deciding goal was to make it two and put the game to bed.
“It’s fantastic to watch, but it’s hard to do. I don’t care how Villa played today, the intensity of Tottenham, their tactics, their physicality and their desire to win that match would have got them over the line.”
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Konsa was deployed on the right of a back three on Sunday, a very different role from what he has become used to this season. But the Englishman never appeared to settle into the game with an uncharacteristically loose display.
The 26-year-old completed 88 per cent of his 42 attempted passes, with one of his five misplaced efforts proving to be decisive as it was intercepted directly before Brennan Johnson’s second-half strike, according to Fotmob.
Konsa failed to complete any of his attempted long passes as well and was only successful with 50 per cent of his attempted dribbles as he was unable to break through Spurs’ press and help drive Villa up the field.
Against Ajax, the Villa defender was more complete on the ball completing 98 per cent of his attempted passes, but he instead struggled to deal with the Dutch side’s attacking threat as he lost 33 per cent of his ground duels.
The 26-year-old failed to enter a single tackle in the match but still managed to commit four tackles while also losing 100 per cent of his aerial duels as he looked off of the pace for the majority of the contest.
Konsa lacks the presence to play week in and week out as a centre-back. When compared to other central defenders in the Premier League, the Villa man sits in the third percentile for aerials won per 90 minutes, with an average of 0.91 a game, according to Fbref.
On top of that, Konsa places in the 47th percentile for tackles won per 90 minutes, despite having one of the highest success rates in the division. When he enters challenges, he tends to win the ball but he doesn’t take control often enough.
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Konsa is suspended for Villa’s second leg with Ajax following his red card at the Johan Cruyff Arena and that rest may have come at the perfect time for the 26-year-old following his return from injury.
But with Diego Carlos returning against Tottenham and Pau Torres managing his first full game in over a month, Konsa could lose his place in Emery’s starting XI following his two poor performances in Amsterdam and at Villa Park.
However, the versatile defender showed earlier this season that when he is at his best he can be undroppable. Hope, he’ll rediscover that form as it could be crucial in the race for the top four.
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