Aston Villa star has been tipped as one of the best in the Premier League following his form at the FIFA World Cup.
Aston Villa star who is also included in England’s world cup final squad, Ezri Konsa, appears to be overlooked, despite his fairly constant form. At least, that is what his teammates, Ollie Watkins, see in him.
The Villa forward shares his view on Konsa who has featured more regularly than himself in England’s World Cup in North America as reported by Birmingham mail.
“I think he’s one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, but people don’t look at that straight away. I don’t know if it’s profile around Villa and stuff like that. People always look at the top teams.”
Unlike Villa forward who only hit the pitch as a substitute in the final group game against Panama, Konsa has featured in each and every England match at the world cup as a starter.
He also got a nod in the starting XI while Thomas Tuchel’s side crushed Mexico’s dream to ease past their fifth-game curse in the round of 16 yesterday. The London-born defender is likely to keep his place when England and Norway square off at the quarter finals.
Overall, his form at the world cup is fine. He is quite active in the attacking build-up. Based on the data in FotMob,his successful passes rate is 97 %, while his accurate long balls is 66.7 %. The Villa defender has also recorded two shots plus one head shot.
His winning duel rate is 56.2 % plus aerial duel win is 41.7 %. Interestingly, his defensive contribution is not exactly on plenty. He has just made 22 defensive contributions, including three block shots, two tackles, one interception and 16 clearance.
The 28-year old defender has been capped 25 times in the Three Lions shirt, registering one goal and one assist already. He could likely add his international caps as long as he does not suffer injury.
This year’s world cup is not exactly his first major tournament. It is his second actually after EURO 2024. He only played three times, but only became a starter once, at the quarter finals while thumping Switzerland on penalties.
The former Charlton and Brentford man made his international debut in March 2024 against Brazil in Wembley. The game ended in England’s narrow defeat eventually but Konsa’s form gained some positive recognition. At that time, he replaced the injured Kyle Walker in the 20th minute.
Watkins, who also became the starter in that game, added his comments about his teammate, particularly on his form in his debut.
“I think Ez is just so underrated. It’s mad how under the radar he goes and for so many years he has. You know defensively he hardly puts a foot wrong. I think one v one he played there I remember against Brazil and Vinicius couldn’t get past Ez. He’s so solid.”
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