Ezri Konsa was tasked by talkSPORT to build his ultimate defender, and his selections certainly didn’t disappoint.
Konsa is in Germany after being selected in England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024, which kicks-off with the hosts against Scotland on Friday live on talkSPORT.
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Konsa has been selected as one of England’s defenders for Euro 2024Credit: Getty
The 26-year-old has arrived following an excellent season with Aston Villa in which they finished fourth in the Premier League.
Konsa’s efforts have been rewarded with a call-up for the Euros and in the days leading to England’s opener against Serbia on Sunday, he spoke to talkSPORT at their training camp.
Faye Carruthers asked him to create his ultimate defender out of some of football’s biggest and best stars, with his outcome creating a monster opponent.
Speed – Kyle Walker
“Kyle Walker. He brings leadership, quality, speed and a lot of it!”
The Manchester City star has also joined Konsa in Germany, doing so after helping guide his club to a fourth consecutive Premier League title.
Walker clocked an incredible speed of 37.3km/h during the 2022/23 campaign, the fastest out of any player, do he is certainly worthy of being selected for the speed attribute.
Strength – Virgil van Dijk
“Van Dijk. Obviously he’s got such a big presence and he’s been brilliant for so many years now at Liverpool. No one finds it easy to get past him, so it’s got to be Van Dijk.”
The Dutchman has been a commanding presence Liverpool’s defence since he joined in 2018 and is eyed as one of football’s best centre-backs.
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Konsa sat down with talkSPORT and built his ultimate defenderCredit: talkSPORT
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Walker was the man chosen for speed given his immense paceCredit: Getty
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Van Dijk’s strength sees him take top spot in that categoryCredit: Getty
Van Dijk is known for his physicality against opposition attackers, with some seemingly being brushed aside due to his sheer strength.
Tackling – Ezri Konsa
“Can I put myself down? I’ll put myself down there. I enjoy a 1 v 1 and defending when that player is trying to take me on.
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“I’d like to think that I’m quite successful at winning my duels and battles, so I’ll back myself on that one!”
Throughout his 35 appearances in the Premier League last season, Konsa won 32 tackles and made 28 successful interceptions.
He also helped Villa to keep eight clean sheets, with the 26-year-old clearly confident in his own ability to be part of his ultimate defender.
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Konsa selected himself when it came down to tacklingCredit: Getty
Agility – John Stones
“I’ll put John Stones down there. He can move really well – he’s big as well but he does a lot of yoga stuff and pilates which allows him to do all of that. John Stones has got really good agility.”
Stones, a fellow Euro 2024 hopeful with England, stands at 6ft 2in but is able to manoeuvre the pitch with ease.
So much so that the 30-year-old can stand himself up against some talented attackers, with his agility allowing him to adapt in tricky situations.
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Stones makes it in due to his agilityCredit: Getty
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Silva’s positioning sees the defensive veteran also claim his placeCredit: Getty
Positioning – Thiago Silva
“Thiago Silva, he’s always in the right place at the right time. He’s not the fastest but no one seems to beat him for pace.”
Chelsea legend Silva demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the greatest ever centre-backs during his four years at the club, as well as at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian cleared the ball off the line on a number of crucial occasions for the Blues, and he is also a reliable asset when it comes to defending set-pieces.
Heading – Sergio Ramos
“Sergio Ramos. He scored a lot of goals in his career. I think he’s one of the best centre-halves that I’ve seen at scoring goals with his head.”
Ramos has scored 140 goals for club and country during his career, doing so across 996 appearances in all competitions.
Real Madrid were the lucky recipients of 101 of his goals, with the rest coming for Sevilla, PSG and the Spanish national team.
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Ramos has proven to be a reliable asset in the airCredit: Getty
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Terry’s leadership on the pitch was key to Chelsea’s immense successCredit: Getty
Leadership – John Terry
“John Terry. He was the captain at Chelsea for many years and led them to a lot of success. He was captain for England as well, so I’ll say John Terry.”
Terry is widely considered to be one of the best, if not the greatest, centre-backs in the Premier League, as well as world football.
He won five league titles as captain at Chelsea alongside other major honours that include the Champions League, with the former defender known to assert his authority upon his various teammates.
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