Emery right to call Villa players lazy, Konsa says

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa said Unai Emery was right to describe some of the team's play as lazy after Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Sunderland, a result that left the visitors 18th in the table after five games. Emery later said he was angry with the performance, but emphasized he was aiming to balance accountability with improvement as Villa prepare for their Europa League trip to Bologna.

Matty Cash gave Villa an early lead, but Wilson Isidor leveled for Sunderland with about 15 minutes remaining. Sunderland had been reduced to 10 men for almost an hour when Reinildo Mandava was shown a red card, and the game swung on the balance of a single goal as Villa failed to hold on for a win.

Konsa said, “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. There are blips in the season and we are going through that now. Hopefully we can move on. 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.”

He added: “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.”

Emery, speaking before Bologna’s visit to Villa Park in the Europa League on Thursday, acknowledged being angry after the match but said he was also focused on balancing expectations and improvement. “I was angry, frustrated and disappointed, but when I analysed it I was getting the balance,” he said. “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.”

Villa’s poor start to the season has been characterized by a lack of attacking output and a fragile defense. The draw left the club without a league win in five games, out of the Carabao Cup, and with only one league goal scored. Konsa stressed that the team is not in crisis mode, pointing to leadership from captain John McGinn and the need to put results right on the pitch.

“I don’t think we are at the stage where we need to have meetings,” Konsa said. “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. It shows how far we have come over the last three years.”

Villa now turn their attention to the Europa League group stage, hoping to translate improved focus and discipline from the training ground into a competitive performance against Bologna at Villa Park.