VILLA UPDATE: Pau Torres vs. Fulham leaves Alan Shearer speechless; might…..
After losing to Manchester United in the Premier League, Aston Villa and Unai Emery would have been keen to bounce back, and they accomplished just that against Fulham.
On Saturday, February 17, Villa wasn’t as thrilling as they were in their 5-0 victory over Sheffield United, but they still put in a lot of effort outside of the possession game to win 2-1 and earn all three points thanks to a brace from Ollie Watkins.
The England international’s clinical form at Craven Cottage saw him earn plenty of plaudits from supporters and pundits alike, with Alan Shearer naming him in his Premier League team of the week, but he wasn’t the only Villa star included.
Joining Watkins was Pau Torres, with the Spaniard’s defensive display next to Clement Lenglet impressing the BBC Sport pundit who picked him in a back-three alongside Chelsea’ Axel Diasi and Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior.
No player for either side completed more passes in the contest than the 27-year-old, who found teammates with 79 per cent of his 80 attempted efforts, seven of which were into Fulham’s final third, stats according to Fotmob.
Torres wasn’t afraid to venture forward with the ball at his feet either, completing 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles. However, he would have been slightly disappointed by his wayward long passing, only finding a teammate in claret and blue with 25 per cent of his 16 efforts.
Out of possession, the returning Villa defender won every single one of the three ground duels that he entered and only lost one of his attempted tackles as he marshalled Emery’s defence in an incredibly commanding fashion.
Aston Villa’s Champions League push can resume under Pau Torres’ guidance.
Torres’ injured absence coincided with Aston Villa’s decline in performance over the Christmas break, and the 27-year-old’s comeback may be what Emery’s team needs to get back on track and qualify for the Champions League this year.
Villa have only lost two of the 17 Premier League games that the Spanish international has started this term, meaning they pick up points in more than 88 per cent of games when he is named in the starting XI.
Across those 17 starts, Villa have won 13 matches meaning Emery’s side have won 76.4 per cent of the matches they have played with Torres in their backline.
If Villa were able to maintain this record and Torres was named in the starting XI every week between now and the end of the domestic season, Emery’s side would win eight of their remaining 11 games and therefore pick up at least another 24 points.
While that won’t be easy and is still far from a guarantee, keeping the 27-year-old fit for the next few months could well define Aston Villa’s season and push them into the Champions League places.
In other Aston Villa news, Lenglet’s display against Fulham impressed his Villa teammate Konsa who labelled it “solid”
