Pau Torres now undroppable under Unai Emery after ‘early season troubles’ at Aston Villa
Aston Villa remarkably have the chance to go top of the Premier League table in their upcoming clash against Sheffield United.
Unai Emery’s men are just a point behind league leaders Arsenal as the Blades travel to Villa Park on Friday (22 December), with the Gunners taking on Liverpool on Saturday (23 December).
It has been a real team effort from the Midlands club, although that is not to say that there haven’t been some standout performers.
One of which is certainly defensive ace Pau Torres, with the Spanish centre-back really enjoying life at Villa Park since his summer switch from Villarreal.
He has registered four clean sheets from his 17 league games to date, with Torres making 85 recoveries, winning 52 duels and making 38 clearances in that time [official Premier League website].
It wasn’t, however, an immediate transition into English football for the 26-year-old, according to journalist Dean Jones.
“I think Emery’s message, as dull as it sounds, rather than him pointing out key players, he’ll feel that everyone is a key player,” Jones told GIVEMESPORT (19 December). “But I think you have to look beyond just John McGinn and Ollie Watkins at this point and start to recognise traits of this team that have become really important.
“And one of those, I’d say, would be the emergence of Pau Torres and kind of putting his early season troubles behind him and the doubts about whether he can handle the Premier League.
“There were four or five other teams that were seriously looking at him before he signed for Villa, and his physicality was definitely something that people felt might be a problem.
“I don’t even think that that has been disproven, to be honest at this moment, but what Pau Torres has done is he’s established himself in a team and he’s got an understanding of the system that means that he’s thriving.”
The defender is certainly thriving under his compatriot, with the centre-back forming a solid partnership with the likes of Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa.
His displays have allowed Aston Villa supporters to almost forget about the injured Tyrone Mings, who will make Emery’s defence even stronger when he recovers from his long-term problem.
For now, however, the man in the dugout can be content with Torres at the heart of his defence, with the player boasting a pass completion rate per 90 minutes of 87.7% from his 17 Premier League games, along with 5.50 progressive passes and 1.81 progressive carries [FBref].
His abilities on the ball are certainly appreciated by a manager who wants to build from the back, while defensively he currently has figures of 1.03 tackles and 2.36 clearances per 90. With two goals to his name, Torres is also proving himself in the final third, with the defender registering 1.15 shot-creating actions per 90 so far this season [FBref].
In other Aston Villa news, an 86% Aston Villa ace has given Emery a headache after what happened in the 2-1 win against Brentford.