As he continues to showcase his versatility, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has insisted that Ezri Konsa is strong as both a centre-half and right-back.
The 27-year-old has impressed again this season and remains a fundamental figure in Emery’s side, be it in the heart of our defence or if he is required to shift across to cover on the right side of our backline.
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However, there is little doubt that Konsa’s more natural and effective position is as a centre-half, as he’s excelled in that role and is vital for us in both phases of the game.
In contrast, although he can certainly do a job at right-back, he looks less comfortable in possession and limits our ability to have an attacking dynamic down our right side, while defensively, he does get caught out more often, as evidenced by Brighton’s opening goal in our 2-2 draw earlier this week.
His presence at right-back often means Diego Carlos starts in the middle, and although we’ve produced some strong, stand-out defensive displays with that set-up, we’ve also looked more vulnerable and have been unable to stop leaking goals this season.
Despite that though, Emery has talked up Konsa’s versatility and insists that both roles are his strongest position, and ultimately he plays where the team needs him.
“For me, it would have to be both positions,” he told reporters when asked what Konsa’s best position is, as per VillaTV. “For me, he has to be ready and must play when the team needs him in those positions, trying to do his task as well as possible.
“He has characteristics as a player, how he is as well with his body and his capacity in skills to play in both positions.
“We are trying to get stronger with our structure, and sometimes we are getting stronger with him playing as a right full-back, and sometimes with him playing as a centre back.”
While it’s a fair point in that players must be adaptable and make sacrifices for the team when needed, it still doesn’t mean that we’re convincing enough defensively when Konsa shifts across.
Further, as he noted to the media in his pre-match press conference ahead of our Premier League encounter with Leicester City this weekend, Villa are seemingly in the market for a right-back this month, and so that doesn’t particularly align with the point he’s making above.
It’s hoped that if we do sign another right-back this month to provide competition and cover for Matty Cash, that allows Konsa to stay in the middle permanently, as we’ll need him to form a solid partnership with Tyrone Mings in the coming months with Pau Torres now sidelined by injury.
Emery sees the players in training day in and day out, and so he knows better than anyone what they’re capable of and who he can rely on in what positions. Nevertheless, on the pitch, it’s arguably pretty clear that we operate better as a defensive unit with Konsa as a centre-half and he is at his best in that position, and so hopefully that’s where he’s deployed more often than not in the second half of this campaign.