Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa should be fearful after England win vs Croatia

Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa may have reason to fear his spot in England's starting XI after his World Cup debut.

Due to his performances for the Villans, and being a key asset in the Europa League triumph, Konsa was rightfully called up for Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad.

In the opening match on Wednesday night, the 28-year-old formed part of a surprise partnership, with many expecting Marc Guehi to start

Instead, the German manager opted to play the Aston Villa ace alongside John Stones.

While England did end up securing the win, the decision to pair Konsa and Stones caused much division before kick-off.

And in truth, those fears may have been realised based on the performances during the game.

Why Ezri Konsa's World Cup spot is in doubt

The display from Konsa was far from what Villa fans have come to know from him.

In terms of his on-the-ball qualities, he was absolutely spot on, completing more passes than (67) anyone else on the pitch, while also having 94 per cent passing accuracy as per FotMob.

However, the centre-back was too often bullied and easily beaten in his duels, and the statistics reflect that.

Konsa won two of three ground duels, but aerially, he lost four out of five aerial duels.

The Aston Villa ace also committed a foul and was caught out on Croatia's second goal.

With Tuchel having plenty of options at centre-back with both Guehi and potentially Trevoh Chalobah or Jarrell Quansah coming into the fold, he may not hesitate to fix what appeared to be a weakness for England.

Konsa will certainly be hoping he is handed another chance, and this shaky performance was nothing more than a player getting nerves on their first-ever appearance in a World Cup.

But public perception, as shared by England journalist Matt Law, may be that Tuchel made the wrong call.

He stated via X: "A penny for Marc Guehi's thoughts...Stones at fault for Crostia's first goal and Konsa caught on second. Tuchel may have made the wrong call at the back."

Why Morgan Rogers will have opposite reaction to Konsa

While Konsa may fear his place in the side, Morgan Rogers will feel he showed enough to push for a starting role.

In his 18-minute cameo, Rogers managed to create two chances, with one of them being a big chance.

All of that despite making just 11 touches of the ball during his display.

Additionally, he won 75 per cent of his duels. However, with Jude Bellingham scoring, Rogers may need at least one more strong showcase off the bench to change Tuchel's mind.