Pau Torres shows his worth to Aston Villa with 90% displays proves teams wrong
Pau Torres has shone in his recent performances for Aston Villa, proving teams wrong who swerved a deal for the Spain international before his move to Villa Park.
Journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT [15 August] that a lot of teams were looking at Torres, but shied away due to concerns over his physicality, although Villa have now had the last laugh.
The defender has proved his worth and become a mainstay in Unai Emery’s team, starting 11 Premier League games so far since arriving at Villa Park.
In his last three performances against Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Luton, of which Villa have won two and lost one, Torres has been a key presence. Having him at the back allows Villa to build out of defence, with a 95% success rate against Luton and 90% against Forest, his role is clear. [Sofascore]
Playing as a facilitator to help build possession from the back was why Emery targeted Torres as a priority in the summer, but the doubts over his physicality other teams swerved him for may now have also been put to bed.
An average of 1.0 tackles, 5.1 recoveries and 2.2 clearances per game in the Premier League this season has shown how sound he is defensively, while a total of 2.9 duels won shows he is not afraid to put himself about in defence against some of the physical strikers that England can offer.
A heatmap of his average positioning so far this season displays his preference for the left-hand side, but the variation in the height of the defensive line shows he can step up when necessary and help maintain the pressure Emery’s team likes to provide. [Sofascore]
Further proof of his ability in the high line comes as he is in the 79th percentile of tackles in the final third of the pitch when ranked among other centre-backs [FBref].
This ability to sit comfortably in a high line with the knowledge he can cover if needed is a vital part of his game, and one other clubs would kill to have on their side.
In other Aston Villa news, a 100% duo earned high praise from Ian Wright.