How Villa could adapt around Taylor Harwood-Bellis

By Jake Carter

Taylor Harwood-Bellis comes into Aston Villa with a difficult job. Ezri Konsa gave Unai Emery far more than reliability at centre-back, so replacing him will depend on what Harwood-Bellis can reproduce, what he can add and how Villa cover the areas where the two are different.

Replacing Ezri Konsa was never going to be a case of finding another right-sided centre-back and carrying on as before. He started 34 Premier League games last season and had become one of Villa’s most dependable players, with enough senior and international experience to have a genuine claim to being one of England’s best centre-backs.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis arrives with a different profile. He does not have Konsa’s recovery speed or the same record of dealing with quick forwards in isolation, but he is very comfortable in possession, has a good range of passing and should give Villa more in the air at both ends of the pitch. He also brings plenty of senior experience for a 24-year-old, having played in several different systems and captained England’s Under-21s.

What did Villa actually lose with Konsa?

Konsa’s biggest value was how comfortable Villa were leaving him in difficult situations. When the right-back went forward, he could move across and defend the channel; if Villa’s press was beaten, he had the pace to recover towards his own goal; and when a winger managed to isolate him, he was usually comfortable defending the situation without immediately needing another player to come across.

That security affected the way the rest of Villa could play. The right-back could take up more aggressive positions, the midfield could push towards the ball and Pau Torres could step forward from the other side because Konsa was capable of covering a lot of ground behind them. Villa did not want their defensive shape to break down, but when it did, Konsa was one of the players most likely to stop the mistake becoming a clear chance.

His versatility gave Emery another option. Konsa could move to right-back without Villa losing much defensively, and he was comfortable defending much wider than most centre-backs. Emery could therefore change the shape of the back line during a match without needing to change personnel, something Harwood-Bellis is unlikely to offer to the same extent.

There was also much more to Konsa than pace. Years of Premier League football and experience under Emery meant he knew when to step up, when to follow a forward and when to start dropping before the pass had even been played. His speed could rescue him when things went wrong, but a lot of his best defending came from reading the danger early enough that he did not need to use it.

Harwood-Bellis has plenty of senior football behind him too, with spells at Blackburn, Anderlecht, Stoke, Burnley and Southampton before moving to Villa. He captained England to the Under-21 European Championship in 2023 and has already been trusted with plenty of responsibility, but taking Konsa’s place still means stepping into a role previously held by a defender who had proven himself over several seasons at Premier League and senior international level.

Keeping Villa comfortable in possession

This is probably the area where Villa should have the fewest concerns. Harwood-Bellis came through Manchester City’s academy and has spent much of his senior career in teams that want their centre-backs heavily involved in possession, particularly during his time under Vincent Kompany and later at Southampton.

He is comfortable having a lot of the ball, but he does more than move it sideways until somebody else takes responsibility. Harwood-Bellis will play into midfield when the pass opens up, carry forward when opponents stand off him and go longer when teams push high enough to leave space further up the pitch. During Southampton’s promotion season he completed more than 92 per cent of his passes and was one of the Championship’s stronger defenders for progressive and long passing.

That could make Villa less reliant on building through Pau. Pau has often been the centre-back opponents are most worried about when Villa have possession because he can wait for a player to press him and then find someone behind that pressure. Konsa was very reliable on the right and could carry into space, but Harwood-Bellis gives Emery another player who will look for the forward pass from that side.

Zion Suzuki makes that even more interesting. Villa now have a goalkeeper with excellent long distribution and a right-sided centre-back who is also happy to play beyond the first line of pressure, so teams cannot assume that pushing high will force Villa into a series of short passes around their own box.

If a striker presses Suzuki, a winger moves towards Harwood-Bellis and an opposition midfielder follows Kamara, Villa have several ways out. They can still play through those players, but Harwood-Bellis or Suzuki can also go beyond them and find a forward or wide player in the space that the press has left behind.

Harwood-Bellis will still need to learn the timing. Villa often keep possession near their own box because they are waiting for one more opponent to commit, and knowing when to hold the ball and when to go forward is a big part of playing in Emery’s side. The passing ability is already there; the understanding with the players around him will come with time.

A different threat from set pieces

The clearest difference is his threat from set pieces. Harwood-Bellis scored seven Championship goals last season, a high total for a centre-back, and he became a regular target for Southampton.

That gives Villa another way of creating chances. Konsa could contribute from set pieces, but goals were never a major part of his game, whereas Harwood-Bellis has shown he can attack the ball well and consistently get himself into useful positions. If Villa can carry that threat into the Premier League, it adds something to the position rather than only trying to replace what has gone.

A more aerially dominant defence

Harwood-Bellis’ aerial ability should matter just as much in Villa’s own box. He is comfortable competing for high balls and taking responsibility for the first header, which could be particularly useful alongside Pau against teams that want to play directly towards a centre-forward.

That also links nicely with Suzuki. Villa are bringing in a goalkeeper who is aggressive when coming for crosses at the same time as adding a centre-back who is strong when the ball has to be defended in the air. If Suzuki can claim the delivery, the attack ends immediately; when he stays on his line, Harwood-Bellis gives Villa a good chance of winning the first contact.

It could reduce the amount of time Villa spend dealing with second balls around their own penalty area. Last season there were periods when opponents could keep Villa pinned back by winning one aerial duel and picking up the loose ball afterwards, so becoming stronger on the first contact would make those spells easier to manage.

Harwood-Bellis should also suit matches where opponents do not allow Villa to dominate possession. Away from home or against sides prepared to play more directly, there will be times when the centre-backs simply have to defend the box and win headers rather than worry about progressing the ball. That is an area where his strengths should translate quickly.

Who replaces Konsa’s recovery defending?

This is the biggest issue Villa have to solve. Konsa’s pace meant they could get away with leaving more space behind him than they will probably want to leave behind Harwood-Bellis, particularly when the right-back is high and Villa lose possession before the rest of the team is set.

Kamara could have an even bigger role because of that. If he stays close enough to the centre-backs during attacks, he can slow down a counter before Harwood-Bellis is left running back towards his own goal. João Gomes could provide similar help because of the amount of ground he covers and his ability to win the ball before an attack reaches the defence.

The right-back may need to be slightly more careful with his starting position as well. Konsa could sometimes be left with almost the entire channel to defend because Villa trusted him to cope, whereas keeping the distances a little smaller would give Harwood-Bellis more support when an opponent attacks that side.

Suzuki can help with the space behind the defensive line too. His willingness to leave his penalty area should allow Villa to keep defending high without asking Harwood-Bellis to chase every ball over the top, but the goalkeeper cannot fix every transition. Villa will still need the midfield to slow attacks down and the defenders to stay close enough to help each other.

The partnership with Pau Torres

With the ball, the partnership makes plenty of sense. Pau can progress from the left and Harwood-Bellis can do the same from the right, which should make Villa’s first phase harder to press and give Kamara more than one centre-back capable of finding him through midfield.

The concern is what happens after a turnover. Neither Pau nor Harwood-Bellis is a defender Villa will want repeatedly sprinting 40 yards towards his own goal against quick Premier League forwards, so the positioning of the players in front of them becomes particularly important. Kamara cannot always be ahead of the ball, and Villa may need one of the full-backs to stay slightly closer depending on where the attack is developing.

There should be benefits from the pairing as well. Harwood-Bellis can take more responsibility for aerial duels while Pau concentrates on reading the play and controlling possession, and having two centre-backs comfortable with the ball could stop opponents from focusing their press almost entirely on Villa’s left side.

A lot will depend on how quickly they understand each other. Konsa and Pau had already built that relationship, whereas Harwood-Bellis will be learning a new partner, a new goalkeeper and Emery’s defensive line at the same time.

Leadership in a changing defence

Villa are not only replacing Konsa’s defensive actions. They are losing a senior player who had spent years at the club and knew exactly what Emery wanted, so there is also a gap in experience and organisation at the back.

Harwood-Bellis has already shown he is comfortable with responsibility. Captaining England’s Under-21s to a European title and later wearing the armband for Southampton does not mean he arrives and immediately becomes one of Villa’s main leaders, but it does show that managers and teammates have trusted him to organise teams despite his age.

That could become particularly important in a defence going through several changes. Suzuki will be new to the league, Harwood-Bellis will be new to Emery and the relationships around Pau will be different from last season, so having another defender who is prepared to communicate and take responsibility should help.

Konsa’s experience cannot be recreated immediately. Harwood-Bellis will have to earn that level of trust through performances, but he arrives with a stronger background in leadership than most centre-backs of the same age.