Pre season 2025

[ChicagoLion]

A defence wit Maatsen Torres and Cash will not keep Many clean sheets.

[Gareth]

It’s not just the personnel - I’ve always said if I could ask Unai one question it would be are the defenders and holding midfielders forbidden when under pressure to just clear the ball rather than try a pass

[VillaTim]

Successful teams build on a solid defence . Emery has managed to weaken ours in recent times . Every manager has a blind spot though .

[Ian.]

Are we not forgetting last season defensive crisis and having a different back three right up to the end of January? That with Kamara and Onana being out for large chunks of that period.

I’m pretty sure this effected a lot of our performances and confidence in our defensive play, more than Emery making it worse.

[Gareth]

Are we not forgetting last season defensive crisis and having a different back three right up to the end of January? That with Kamara and Onana being out for large chunks of that period.

I’m pretty sure this effected a lot of our performances and confidence in our defensive play, more than Emery making it worse.

It felt like we were barely able to field same back four in successive games at all for a lot of the season - that will be a massive bonus if we can get some consistency

[VillaTim]

Are we not forgetting last season defensive crisis and having a different back three right up to the end of January? That with Kamara and Onana being out for large chunks of that period.

I’m pretty sure this effected a lot of our performances and confidence in our defensive play, more than Emery making it worse.

I don't disagree with the above but it still doesn't answer the team selection at the back in the huge games - PSG , Palace SF and ManUre last day . Costly very costly.

[ROBBO]

For the first time since Emery took over I can see a worrying pattern, No new players although apart from the usuals nobody seems to be buying, thi insistance of playing out from the back with defenders who don't have the skill level to cope with the pressure it brings and lastly I can think of only two or three players who have consistant form levels. Rogers especially can be brilliant but has more off days than on.

[ian c.]

Luckily Chris Wilder is still available and could be in place before the Roma game.

[martin o`who??]

It beggars belief for me when people watch the Villa defense over the last couple of seasons and then pick out Pao Torres as the weak Link
He’s the only central defender we’ve got that can actually control the football and then move forward progressively with it and try and create something through the midfield
Yeah, he gives the ball away sometimes because he’s going forward unlike Konsa who’s always going backwards,

Mings and Konsa slow the game down and play that walking football stuff that everyone moans about
Konsa in particular has average technical ability at best, and has no clue what to do with it most of the time so a sideways pass or a roll of the ball with his foot a look round Maldini style before turning and slowly passing the ball back to the goalkeeper is what keeps his passing stats at 90%
And I love Percy, but I’m not interested in his fucking stats on this one because we let millions of goals and no matter who plays


Torres isn’t physically enough, Konsa is a soft as fuck, goes down with the slightest tap spends most of the game on his arse pleading for free kicks, which he very often gets because he’s got it off to a fine art,
The bloke is a liability his positional sense is woeful, his technical ability on the ball is substandard, he gets bullied too often. I don’t get what people seeing him., a Rolls-Royce of a defender you’re having a laugh
He gets away with absolute murder on here

I know yesterday was a friendly but he made a big mistake Cost us a goal, Everyone’s blaming the defense when it was his fault 100%
The Mings Konsa partnership is too old-fashioned they’re just not good enough footballers for both of them to play out from the back because they can’t do it, people say we’re fannying about, yeah but if you can’t pass the ball that’s what happens

For me Konsa’s positives are he’s scored some important and decent goals and can be dangerous from corners, also seems to have a decent shot in front of goal
And he can run alongside a defender and see him to touch and out of Danger He’s not too bad at that.
But he gets a rinsed far too often, and him Bailey and Ramsey are the softest lads We’ve got in the team and Watkins for that matter, just get the fuck up and play the game

But other than that you're fairly happy.

[London Villan]

Konsa would have been on my "up for sale" list. Moving him on works on a few levels - as long as he is replaced by a strong, physical right-footer, to play alongside Unai's key player, Torres.

[john e]

It beggars belief for me when people watch the Villa defense over the last couple of seasons and then pick out Pao Torres as the weak Link
He’s the only central defender we’ve got that can actually control the football and then move forward progressively with it and try and create something through the midfield
Yeah, he gives the ball away sometimes because he’s going forward unlike Konsa who’s always going backwards,

Mings and Konsa slow the game down and play that walking football stuff that everyone moans about
Konsa in particular has average technical ability at best, and has no clue what to do with it most of the time so a sideways pass or a roll of the ball with his foot a look round Maldini style before turning and slowly passing the ball back to the goalkeeper is what keeps his passing stats at 90%
And I love Percy, but I’m not interested in his fucking stats on this one because we let millions of goals and no matter who plays


Torres isn’t physically enough, Konsa is a soft as fuck, goes down with the slightest tap spends most of the game on his arse pleading for free kicks, which he very often gets because he’s got it off to a fine art,
The bloke is a liability his positional sense is woeful, his technical ability on the ball is substandard, he gets bullied too often. I don’t get what people seeing him., a Rolls-Royce of a defender you’re having a laugh
He gets away with absolute murder on here

I know yesterday was a friendly but he made a big mistake Cost us a goal, Everyone’s blaming the defense when it was his fault 100%
The Mings Konsa partnership is too old-fashioned they’re just not good enough footballers for both of them to play out from the back because they can’t do it, people say we’re fannying about, yeah but if you can’t pass the ball that’s what happens

For me Konsa’s positives are he’s scored some important and decent goals and can be dangerous from corners, also seems to have a decent shot in front of goal
And he can run alongside a defender and see him to touch and out of Danger He’s not too bad at that.
But he gets a rinsed far too often, and him Bailey and Ramsey are the softest lads We’ve got in the team and Watkins for that matter, just get the fuck up and play the game

But other than that you're fairly happy.

I bring a lot of sunshine to people that know me

[ChicagoLion]

Konsa would have been on my "up for sale" list. Moving him on works on a few levels - as long as he is replaced by a strong, physical right-footer, to play alongside Unai's key player, Torres.

I would have it the other way around.
The weakness in defence starts with Torres and is exacerbated by Cash and Maatsen when he plays.

[olaftab]

Successful teams build on a solid defence . Emery has managed to weaken ours in recent times . Every manager has a blind spot though .

Yes with those horrific failings he has only established us as a regular European competition team and comfortable in PL top 6. Dreadful really.

[London Villan]

But Torres is Unai's key player - so he won't be going anywhere.

[Brazilian Villain]

Rangers v Viktoria Pilsner is on BBC Scotland for those interested.