Unai Emery set for boost at Aston Villa as new Ezri Konsa injury update emerges
Aston Villa supporters will be desperate to see Unai Emery’s side back in Premier League action after the September international break.
The Villans get their domestic campaign back up and running with a clash against Everton on Saturday (14 September) and the Villa boss will be keen to maintain the momentum from the win over Leicester City.
Fears had emerged during the international break that Emery could have lost Ezri Konsa to an injury sustained on international duty, but the Spaniard has been handed a boost before the game.
Writing on X on Friday (13 September) Birmingham Live’s John Towley said: “Unai Emery has confirmed both Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa are available for selection and will be in Aston Villa’s squad to face Everton tomorrow.”
Is Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa injured?
Before his injury in England’s 2-0 win over Finland on Tuesday (10 September) Konsa showed exactly why he is such a crucial part of Villa’s squad.
The 26-year-old, who started at centre-back, won 100 per cent of his four ground duels and 100 per cent of his attempted tackles without conceding a single foul, according to Fotmob.
When compared to his positional peers in the Premier League, there are very few central defenders who are as consistently successful in the tackle.
According to Fbref, the Villa man tackled an average of 85.2 per cent of players who attempted to dribble past him last term, which places him in the top three per cent of centre-backs in the top flight.
Perhaps even more impressive than that, however, is the fact that Konsa only lost an average of 0.12 challenges every 90 minutes, a figure better than 97 per cent of central defenders.
If the 26-year-old were therefore to have played every single minute of a 38-game Premier League season, he would have only lost five challenges throughout the whole campaign
Against Finland, the versatile defender also managed to make an impressive five-ball recoveries and even managed to win three free-kicks himself as he demonstrated his impressive technique on the ball.
In possession, Konsa managed to complete 90 per cent of his 40 attempted passes, 10 of which found an England teammate in the final third of the pitch.
The centre-back’s willingness to play with the ball at his feet is a key part of what made Villa tick last season. On average, the England international completed 91.1 per cent of his attempted passes, which places him in the top 16 per cent of centre-backs.
His ability to find teammates with a pass over a long distance is even more important to getting the best out of the Villans’ quick frontline.
Although Konsa sits in the eighth percentile for long passes attempted per game, he places in the 91st for long pass completion percentage per 90 minutes, with an average of 73.6 per cent.
On top of that, the 26-year-old is more than willing to carry the ball up the field and create space for his teammates. Last season, he averaged 1.09 progressive carries per game, a figure better than 82 per cent of centre-backs.
Who will Unai Emery start against Everton at Villa Park?
While the news that Tyrone Mings is closing in on a return means that Villa won’t have to be as reliant on Konsa and Pau Torres in the future is positive, this update means that Emery doesn’t have to rush Mings back into the fold.
The fact that Konsa is ready and available to feature against Everton will have been a welcome boost given the fears that emerged when he originally went down injured.
Hopefully, he will be able to get through the 90 minutes with no further issues and help the Villans claim all three points.
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