Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Wed 22 April 2026 17:10, UK

Pau Torres has played a bit-part role for Aston Villa this season, and the Spaniard would have hoped for more game time.

A portion of his season has been disrupted by injury, with a calf issue keeping him out for six games from the start of December up until January.

This season, the central defender has started in just 48 per cent of all available Premier League matches.

In recent weeks, the Villans have begun running into various issues at the back, and that could result in Torres getting a longer run within the starting lineup.

Ahead of Aston Villa’s final five games, the Spaniard may be the solution to the defensive vulnerabilities that have begun to mount.

Which defensive issues do Aston Villa have to worry about?

Whether it has been the European campaign beginning to take its toll or simply Unai Emery’s side running out of steam, the Villans have become more open at the back.

In three of the last five Premier League matches, the B6 outfit have conceded three goals in one match. In that five-match run, it has equalled the total of matches with three-plus goals conceded in the previous 38.

It is an issue that must not be batted away, and Emery must find a solution to solving it. Tyrone Mings has certainly not put his best foot forward in this poor defensive run, and ultimately Torres could be poised to takeover.

Interestingly, in the two matches where Villa’s defence was able to keep less than three goals out, it was Torres who featured at centre-back.

Additionally, when the 29-year-old starts matches, the Birmingham-based outfit only concedes 0.93 goals per match.

This is below their 1.2 goals conceded per match average this season. Overall, while the defensive issues may be a new problem, Emery has an old solution to solve it.

How Unai Emery may already understand Pau Torres importance for Aston Villa

Before his calf injury in December, Torres had started 66 per cent of the available Premier League games; however, since returning, his percentage has dropped to 46 per cent.

Over the weekend against Sunderland, Torres was not even named in the squad, with Emery insisting it was merely rotation.

However, Emery may already know how key the Spanish international is to Villa’s success. Before the Sunderland fixture, Torres had started six of the last seven matches in all competitions.

Hopefully this rotation was merely a one-off decision with Torres poised to sort out the rising defensive issues, and his 103 appearance total for Aston Villa will surely rise towards the end of the season.