Only Harry Kane can beat Ezri Konsa for this stat as Aston Villa star stands out for England
Ezri Konsa has been one of Aston Villa’s best players under Unai Emery.
Despite Villa’s early-season struggles in the Premier League, Konsa has maintained his excellent performance levels in B6.
Konsa’s red card against Newcastle has been the only blip in what has otherwise been another successful spell of matches.
After his latest round of fixtures for England under Thomas Tuchel, he is now fighting it out with Harry Kane when it comes to one promising stat.
Ezri Konsa only outdone by Harry Kane under Thomas Tuchel
Konsa has played both matches for England during the October international break as they beat Wales and Latvia, scoring eight goals and conceding none.
The 27-year-old registered a 98 per cent pass accuracy against Latvia on 14 October, as England secured their place in the 2026 World Cup thanks to a 5-0 win in Riga.
However, the most impressive achievement is that out of all of England’s outfield players, only Kane (585) has registered more minutes for England under Thomas Tuchel than Konsa (555).
| Touches | 104 |
| Pass accuracy (percentage) | 98 |
| Ground duels won (percentage) | 100 |
| Passes into final third | 17 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
Konsa has earned 16 caps for England in the space of two years, showcasing his meteoric rise to become one of the country’s best centre-backs.
Having been at Villa since 2019, Konsa has been touted as a future captain, and his leadership and aerial prowess have proved to be vital towards their recent success.
This season, Konsa has won 70 per cent of his aerial duels, whilst also registering a successful pass accuracy of 96.3 per cent.
These qualities are invaluable to Tuchel, who now has a huge decision to make over whether Konsa will start for England at the 2026 World Cup.
Over the past few seasons, Konsa has proven his value to Aston Villa, and he is now reaping the rewards on the international stage too, sharing his skill with the masses.
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Ezri Konsa must start for England at the 2026 World Cup
Tuchel has clearly placed great faith in Konsa, and he looks nailed on to be named in the squad that will travel to North America in June.
With Konsa, Marc Guehi, and John Stones set to fight it out for those two centre-back spots, the Villa defender has proved why he must be starting.
Despite Guehi starting the season brilliantly, Tuchel favoured Konsa ahead of the Crystal Palace defender against Latvia, who was rested.
As for Stones, not many can argue against his inclusion in the starting line-up, but given his recent injury record, it’ll all depend on whether he’ll be available when the time comes.
Konsa played at right-back against Wales, and with his versatility being a huge bonus for England, it’ll be a shock if he doesn’t play a huge part in the 2026 World Cup.
England fans definitely don’t show Konsa the respect he deserves, but Tuchel and those at Aston Villa certainly do, and it’s been earned.
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