Aston Villa Defender Reflects on Coach's Critique and Team's Performance
Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has agreed with head coach Unai Emery's assessment of the team's performance, describing his players as "lazy" following their recent match.
Emery expressed his frustration with the team after they managed only a 1-1 draw against ten-man Sunderland, stating, "We were lazy sometimes in defence. When we conceded, we were lazy." The match saw Wilson Isidor equalize with 15 minutes remaining after Matty Cash had given Villa the lead, despite Sunderland playing with a reduced squad for an hour following Reinildo Mandava's red card.
Konsa acknowledged the validity of Emery's comments, saying, "Yeah, it’s a fair comment. I think everyone has seen the picture, seen the goal. Here we pride ourselves in trying to play a high line; it is something the boss has instilled since he first came. We didn’t quite get it right. Things have not been good for us so far this season. But there are blips in the season, and we are going through that now. Hopefully, we can move on."
He added, "When your manager doesn’t speak too well of you, it is not a good thing for you. It does bring a bit of fuel into you, and you just want to play the next game as soon as possible to prove everyone wrong. It starts from tomorrow."
When asked if Emery had privately called his players lazy, Konsa responded, "No. The boss is not a big speaker. Sometimes he keeps himself to himself. As players, we have been in the game a long time, and we know what we need to do. It is down to us at the end of the day. We are on the pitch, not the manager. We have to figure it out for ourselves as well."
Before the upcoming Europa League match against Bologna at Villa Park, Emery reiterated his disappointment after the Sunderland match, stating, "I was frustrated and disappointed, but when I analysed it, I was getting the balance. I am demanding and always trying to understand how we can feel stronger. After the match, I told the players we have to be more demanding."
The draw against Sunderland has left Villa in 18th place in the Premier League, winless in their first five games, eliminated from the Carabao Cup, and with only one league goal to their name.
However, Konsa is not ready to call it a crisis, saying, "I don’t think we are at the stage where we need to have meetings. People will talk about crisis meetings and things like that, but we have got a great captain in John McGinn, who really takes the lead in stuff like that. After the game, he said a few words to keep us going, to keep encouraging us. Look, we haven’t started the season well. We know that. But I’m sure it’s going to go well soon."
He concluded, "It shows how far we have come over the last three years that people have criticised Villa’s start to the season."