Aston Villa: Don Goodman reacts to Ezri Konsa gesture after John McGinn controversy
Ezri Konsa was right to question the actions of Aston Villa team-mate John McGinn following the midfielder’s sending off in the loss to Tottenham, according to Don Goodman.
McGinn was dismissed for a rash challenge on Destiny Udogie with Villa two goals down in an eventual 4-0 loss last Sunday (10 March).
Konsa could be seen pointing to his head when looking at McGinn, implying that he felt his colleague should have kept his cool.
Reacting to the incident, Goodman told Villa News: “It was an angry tackle and Ezri Konsa was right to point to his head because McGinn did let his team-mates down.
“He lost his head and I don’t know why. He can’t have any arguments about the red card. I’m someone who got several red cards and it’s not a good feeling when you leave the pitch, leaving your team-mates facing an uphill task.
“John McGinn will know that. He’ll have heard the roar of the third goal and the roar of the fourth goal. You sit there in the changing room and you will have regrets and you will be angry at yourself.”
John McGinn to miss next three Aston Villa games
Goodman added: “With regards to the three games he’s going to miss, he’s been such a key player for them. He’s an all-action midfielder, someone who does everything – hold, run, score, assist.
“He’s a throwback in that he’s aggressive without normally stepping over the line. And he’s a leader – they don’t grow on trees in 2024.
“They are a dying breed, a player who leads like he does. So he will be annoyed with himself and he will be missed.”
Who has been Aston Villa’s most used player this season?
McGinn has started all 28 of Aston Villa’s Premier League games this season, which only Ollie Watkins can match.
In a cruel blow for Villa, Watkins hobbled off injured against Ajax so that means Unai Emery may now be without his two most-used men.
That will provide a big challenge against West Ham this weekend, but Emery has so often showed he has solutions to problems when they arise.
Indeed, nobody seems to talk about the Villans’ long-term injury issues, which threatened to derail the campaign before it had truly got going.
Emery would rather have McGinn than be without him, of course, but the Scotsman can have no complaints after his moment of madness.
It is now over to others in the team to step up and fill the void for this big showdown with West Ham at London Stadium on Sunday (17 March).
In other Aston Villa news, Don Goodman has ruled one team out of the top-four race after last weekend’s results.
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