Ezri Konsa reveals what Unai Emery is really like at Aston Villa with sack stance clear

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Unai Emery furiously ripped into his Aston Villa players after their 1-1 draw with Sunderland, describing them as “lazy”.

Emery had criticised his side’s defending for the Black Cats’ equaliser at the Stadium of Light, which came despite the hosts going a man down in the first half after Reinildo Mandava’s red card.

Aston Villa are yet to pick up their first win in the Premier League and have suffered two dismal defeats against Brentford and Crystal Palace, while they have also scored just one top-flight goal so far.

As a result, the pressure looks to be steadily building on the head coach, although TBR Football understands Villa remain fully committed to Emery, who they view as “world class”.

They will begin their Europa League campaign against Bologna at Villa Park on Thursday, and Ezri Konsa has given a glimpse into how the man in charge typically conducts himself behind the scenes.

Ezri Konsa says Unai Emery is ‘not a big speaker’

Speaking during Villa’s pre-match press conference, Konsa was asked whether the Spaniard had also called his players lazy in private.

In response, he said: “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.”

Konsa also insisted Unai Emery was right to publicly rip into his squad, adding: “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.”

Emery could certainly do with a positive result in front of an expectant home crowd, if only to stave off the speculation surrounding a potential change in the dugout.

Aston Villa decision shows they’re backing Unai Emery

News of the surprise departure of Villa sporting director Monchi suddenly broke on Tuesday night and sparked alarm among supporters.

However, as exclusively revealed by TBR Football’s chief correspondent Graeme Bailey, the club had actually been working to bring in Roberto Olabe as Monchi’s replacement for several weeks.

Emery was appointed as Almeria manager by Olabe in 2010 and his arrival in the Midlands appears to underline Villa’s trust in the manager, despite the sluggish start this season.

Villa must first rediscover their attacking spark and drag themselves through to the winter window, when their new recruitment guru will be able to work his magic again.