Why Pau Torres' stock at Aston Villa has only surged after what happened vs Brentford

Pau Torres was unable to start in Aston Villa's 2-2 draw against Brentford on Saturday.

Villa finally made their return to action, as Villa Park witnessed an end-to-end thriller in the draw against the Bees.

Nicolas Jackson and John McGinn were on target for the hosts, though defensive issues meant that the points were split in the end.

Torres has been recovering from a thigh injury, and though he made the bench against Brentford, Unai Emery didn't want to rush the centre-back into things too soon.

The Villans could have made it four wins on the bounce in the match, but a draw suggests that the international break has indeed halted their momentum.

But perhaps Aston Villa's biggest issue was their defence, and with Torres absent, it was clear to see.

Pau Torres' absence exposed Aston Villa's biggest flaw vs Brentford

Villa have started to find the back of the net, and creating chances does not seem to be as much of an issue as it first seemed.

The Villans created 2.28 in xG against the Bees, having 20 shots on goal, with seven of them on target.

They created a total of three big chances and missed two, despite scoring two goals, but the positives up top are there to see.

However, Brentford also managed to have 14 shots, creating 1.06 in terms of xG as Tyrone Mings' glaring first-half error allowed Yehor Yarmoliuk to finish.

As per FotMob data, Torres has an average of 81 per cent passing accuracy in the Premier League this season, often offering the B6 side an extra layer of composure at the back.

Last season, the 29-year-old made an average of 6.01 defensive contributions per 90 minutes, with 1.18 tackles every game.

Villa's defence falls apart without Torres, and that was clear to see against Brentford.

It's surely only made the Spaniard's importance even more clear.

But on the topic of Villa's defence, further questions are raised over another player who did not start at the weekend.

What is going on with Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

Aston Villa signed Taylor Harwood-Bellis ahead of the deadline, with the former Southampton centre-back coming in with a high reputation as an ex-England international.

The 24-year-old was absent from the matchday squad for unknown reasons, which have not been confirmed to be injury-related.

The B6 side have made signings in recent years that Emery did not particularly want to make, as fears will come after Harwood-Bellis' latest suspected snub.

Harwood-Bellis had an average FotMob rating of 7.34 last season, playing just under 3,700 minutes for the Saints.

He was relied on throughout a long Championship campaign, but can't even make a Villa squad ahead of the likes of Mings and Victor Lindelof after a big-money move.

It all seems very strange.