Ezri Konsa has delivered a composed and determined message ahead of Thursday’s Europa League second leg against Nottingham Forest.
- The England centre-back called for patience: “stay in it and not concede an early goal”
- Konsa insisted Villa Park’s atmosphere gives the home side a significant advantage
- The 27-year-old acknowledged a difficult season: “a rollercoaster with a lot of ups and downs”
- He called on the squad to “go back to basics” and trust in their collective quality
Aston Villa’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest is now just 24 hours away, and the margin for error could hardly be smaller. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg at the City Ground, Unai Emery’s side know they must produce one of their biggest performances of the season if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive.
Villa Park is expected to provide the perfect setting for a response, but after a difficult recent run, the pressure is firmly on the hosts to deliver. With the stakes so high, Ezri Konsa’s pre-match comments offered an important insight into the mood inside the squad before Thursday night’s decisive showdown.
“90 minutes is a long time”. Konsa urges patience
Ezri Konsa’s pre-match message was measured, calm, and entirely appropriate for the magnitude of the occasion.
The England centre-back did not attempt to manufacture artificial excitement or false confidence. Instead, he delivered the kind of grounded, process-focused perspective that defines a player who has developed enormously under Emery’s guidance over the past three seasons.
“90 minutes is a long time,” Konsa stated simply. “A long time to try and find a goal. The main thing is to stay in it, not to concede an early goal at all. It’s a long time to show what we can do.”
That specific reference to avoiding an early concession reflects the most critical tactical requirement of Thursday’s second leg. Villa need two goals. Shipping one early, which would require three, would effectively end the tie as a contest.
His composure in expressing that message is itself significant. A defender who played a crucial role in the 7-1 aggregate demolition of Bologna and who has been one of Villa’s most consistent performers throughout the European campaign understands exactly what the occasion demands. Patience. Discipline. Belief that the goals will come.
Villa Park and “when the crowd gets going”
Konsa’s most powerful observation concerned the home advantage that Villa possess so emphatically in European competition. Nine consecutive European home victories. The Holte End in full voice. A crowd that has generated some of the most electric atmospheres in recent English football history on European nights.
“Playing at home is a big advantage for us,” the 27-year-old stated with quiet confidence. “When the crowd gets going, and if they are with us from the first minute until the end of the game, we know how difficult it will be for them.”
That final phrase, “we know how difficult it will be for them”, is not arrogance. It is the measured assessment of a player who has experienced Villa Park on European nights and understands precisely what that environment does to visiting teams.
Forest will arrive with confidence, an unbeaten ten-game run, and the resolve of a squad that has been transformed under Pereira. However, navigating Villa Park when the crowd is fully engaged and the home side are pressing for their lives is a very specific and very demanding challenge. Konsa knows it. Emery knows it. The supporters must play their part from the very first whistle.
“Back to basics”. Konsa acknowledges a difficult period
The England international was equally honest about the turbulence of recent weeks. Three consecutive defeats. A Tottenham performance that drew widespread criticism. A squad that has visibly struggled to find its best level since the high of the Bologna second leg.
“This season has been a rollercoaster,” Konsa acknowledged openly. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs, dips in form. We have had months of being on a crazy run. For us, we just need to go back to basics and what we know. We know how good we can be if we stick together.”
A honest, self-aware assessment, delivered without excuses or deflection, that reflects the character of a player who has grown into one of the Premier League’s most reliable centre-backs under Emery’s management.
The basics are clear. Don’t concede early. Trust the crowd. Believe in each other. Two goals and Istanbul awaits.
ReadAstonVilla Verdict
Konsa’s words are exactly what Villa supporters needed to hear: calm, specific, and grounded in genuine self-awareness. The “no early goal” message is the most important tactical instruction of the entire second leg.
If Villa can silence the City Ground atmosphere they were exposed to in the first leg and replicate the focused intensity that dismantled Bologna at Villa Park, two goals is entirely achievable. The crowd must do their job. The players must do theirs. Thursday is everything.
