Ezri Konsa - Aston Villa & England

[eamonn]

He may not be the distributor from the back we need but a fine game for him yesterday and part of another clean sheet.

[chrisw1]

He may not be the distributor from the back we need but a fine game for him yesterday and part of another clean sheet.

Yes, he’s a good defender certainly.  And I think good enough for next season (along with Carlos and Mings)

[KevinGage]

Thought he was MOTM contender yesterday, along with McGinn and Martinez.

Distribution-wise I think we'll need better, if we're persisting with playing out from the back. But happy to see him as a valuable squad player who can slot in as required.

[chrisw1]

Exactly KG

[Nev]

While he hasn't got anywhere near his form under Smith when he first made the team I think he's slowly improving.
Like so many others, the coaching is making all the difference.
I'm not sure he will still be first pick next season but I'm not writing him off just yet.

[Risso]

I think we saw the best and worst of him yesterday. That last second tackle in the box was McGrath-esque. Timed to perfection and anything else probably would have been a penalty. But then it was him who let Mudryk steam past him, and a better/more composed striker would almost certainly have scored. Something similar to that happens to Konsa every game needing him to be bailed out. Overall he did play well yesterday though, he just needs to cut those situations out.

[RamboandBruno]

I think we saw the best and worst of him yesterday. That last second tackle in the box was McGrath-esque. Timed to perfection and anything else probably would have been a penalty. But then it was him who let Mudryk steam past him, and a better/more composed striker would almost certainly have scored. Something similar to that happens to Konsa every game needing him to be bailed out. Overall he did play well yesterday though, he just needs to cut those situations out.

Agree with all of this.
Im also wary that at various times over the last 6 months I’ve written both McGinn and Watkins off, so who knows if Emery’s coaching can build Konsa back up again.

[nigel]

While he hasn't got anywhere near his form under Smith when he first made the team I think he's slowly improving.
Like so many others, the coaching is making all the difference.
I'm not sure he will still be first pick next season but I'm not writing him off just yet.

Agree, he’s a very good defender adapting to another system.
Yes, he had struggled, but how much of that was down to the midfield being over run? Tyrone was also struggling a touch.
Unai comes in, the midfield is sorted and, all of a sudden, Konsa and Mings are looking very good again.
People were writing Luiz and McGinn off fairly recently and they’ve, arguably, been our two best players since Emery came in.

[coreyfeldman]

I really feel that Ez goes under the radar for us. Since emery came in he's been rock solid, rarely puts a foot wrong and actually his distribution has been really good, he regularly pierces the lines with his passing and looks so assured. I was hugely critical of him early on this season and I'm massively eating my words.

[Keeno]

Looked like an elite level CB tonight - stood out above everyone else on the pitch in a pretty average game from both teams.

When he's at his best he makes defending look effortless. Emery could take his game to the next level.

[ChicagoLion]

I don’t need to eat my words, he looked pretty awful under Gerrard and now looks like a very good footballer.
The turnaround is miraculous.

[Lastfootstamper]

He still doesn't fancy pinging that 50 yard cross-fielder out to Moreno, though. Ah well, can't have everything, I suppose.

[Footy-Vill]

He is definitely not an option for me as a right back in any attacking sense of play.
It will be intriguing to see if he occasionally plays there because he can be composed when in possession at the back and is a solid defender whos only getting better. Although I would rather have Konsa as the right centre half, and prefer him to Chambers in any sense.

[OCD]

We know Emery likes his asymmetrical back-line with one attacking-minded full-back and one less so, who can make it a back 3. Using Konsa as a right back plays into that and should be quite solid defensively. Certainly his one-on-one stats are very good.

[Russ aka Big Nose]

We know Emery likes his asymmetrical back-line with one attacking-minded full-back and one less so, who can make it a back 3. Using Konsa as a right back plays into that and should be quite solid defensively. Certainly his one-on-one stats are very good.

Not a challenge to this statement, rather a genuine question - do we know if Emery likes an asymetrical backline? Or is a case of him believing Moreno (and Digne to a lesser extent) can do what is required more than Cash can.

Cash can get forward, though he final ball is often woeful. I wonder whether if Emery thinks that if he can find a RB equivalent of Moreno, he would operate with both - not so that both FBs get high up the pitch at the same time, rather that we have the option to attack with a high FB down the right as well as the left - with the left FB staying back when that happens.

It would mean we are less predictable and hence harder to set up against. UTV.