ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JULY 26: Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, gives the team instructions during the Premier League Summer Series match between Aston Villa and Fulham FC at Exploria Stadium on July 26, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images for Premier League)
Aston Villa: Emery can risk losing Torres for a “monster” fee of £100,000 per week.
Emery may shuffle his starting lineup against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
Aston Villa fans could hardly have predicted the club’s stunning turnaround in the preceding 12 months.
Following the resignation of Steven Gerrard, confidence was at an all-time low, but Unai Emery has them currently challenging for a Champions League berth this season.
Their recent 4-1 hammering of West Ham United was further proof of their ability to crank on the style, and it was a fantastic performance.
With another Europa Conference League match on the horizon, Emery may rest a few players tomorrow evening, with Pau Torres perhaps likely to give way after a poor performance against David Moyes’ men.
How did Pau Torres fare against West Ham United?
The summer signing has been a great addition, and with Tyrone Mings set to be ruled out for the remainder of the season, he should play a significant role in the starting XI.
However, he was not at his best against West Ham. Jarrod Bowen scored for the Hammers with a shot that deflected off the centre-back, after being dribbled past twice, losing possession 11 times, and winning only two of his five duels.
Villa’s offensive threat meant that this lackluster performance could be quickly forgiven, but Emery would be wise to sit him in favor of Diego Carlos, a defender purchased by Gerrard in the summer of 2022.
Diego Carlos will start for Aston Villa against AZ Alkmaar.
Rotation will be critical for Villa to sustain their current form, which may allow the Brazilian defender to break into the starting XI.
The £100,000-per-week beast is in his second season at Villa Park, and after an injury-plagued debut season, he will be aiming for a more fruitful second term.
Indeed, he only appeared three times last season, but the 30-year-old has already appeared eight times this season, demonstrating Emery’s faith in the player.
In the Premier League, he ranks fifth on the team in accurate passes per game (32.2), as well as seventh in tackles (1.2) and sixth in interceptions (0.8) per game.
In the latter two categories, he rates higher than Torres and hence could easily slot into the center of the defense. His performance against Zrinjski was a treat to see, as the former Sevilla defender completed 97% of his passes, won 50% of his aerial duels, and lost possession only three times, demonstrating his competence on the European stage after making 14 Champions League appearances for the Spanish team.
Ollie Watkins has previously referred to the player as a “monster” due to his physicality and aggressiveness, which have enabled him to put last season’s injury nightmare behind him.
With a slew of tough matches ahead in the coming weeks, Emery will almost certainly prioritize team rotation to keep everyone fresh and battling on both the domestic and European fronts.
With this in mind, he can now confidently drop Torres and start Carlos. He certainly deserves it after his last European performance.
