Pau Torres declares admiration for Aston Villa manager Unai Emery

Aston Villa and Spain centre-half Pau Torres has openly admitted that he would not have joined Aston Villa had it not been for Unai Emery's influence. Emery signed Torres from La Liga club Villarreal last summer and he went on to have a superb debut season in claret and blue, playing the majority of Premier League games and being a critical cog in the Villa machine that qualified for the UEFA Champions League.

His ball-playing abilities from the left side of defence have been praised by Premier League fans and his good form of last season has continued at the start of the new campaign. Torres has started all seven of Villa's league games so far this season and provided the brilliant assist for Jhon Duran's winning goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Torres praises Unai Emery

Having been called up by his country for the latest instalment of international matches, the Spaniard spoke to the local Spanish newspaper, La Razon, about his experiences at Aston Villa. The first notable thing that Torres said was his desire to play in the Premier League for a manager he knew much about. Having played under Emery at Villarreal, Villa represented the perfect opportunity for his dream move to England's top flight.

"I've always said that entering the Premier League with a coach who knew me, who I knew very well, was very important, and surely if he hadn't been at Aston Villa, I wouldn't have taken that step."

The 27-year-old also discussed the fact he sat down with Emery to discuss the project at Aston Villa and the part he would play in the journey. Torres also claimed that he had achieved all that he could with the Spanish club, who are unlikely to challenge the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of the league, so knew it was the right time to take the leap and play in England.

The defender, who has a 100% dribble success rate so far this season, emphasising his ability to drive the team forward from defence, also discussed the influence Emery has had on his career.

"I think he is the coach with whom I have played the most games. He is the coach who changed our mentality at Villarreal, who made everyone change their mentality to believe that we could win a title, something that until then had not happened.

And I think he has been the coach, on a day-to-day basis, who has demanded the most from us so that we all give our best. He already had a lot of experience from his previous spells in Europe and I think that had a great influence on him in the group.”"

Torres' unique ability

The centre-back has played every minute of football in the Premier League so far this season, and his stats and ability on the ball prove how vital he is to Villa's build-up play. Jacob Tanswell, the Athletic, revealed that Manchester United had shown an interest in signing Torres before his move to Villa, but decided against pursuing a move over concerns about Torres' mobility and lack of physicality.

Thankfully for Villa, Emery saw it very differently and rather than worrying about the potential defensive frailties he possesses he saw an exceptional ball-progressor who could have a significantly positive influence on Villa's style in possession. Last year, Villa captain John McGinn had praised Torres for his ability:

"He draws so many players in and gives us more space. He's really good on the ball and is one step ahead in the brain. He's a top player and we are lucky to have him."

- John McGinn

Tanswell provided a thorough analysis of Torres's part in the Unai Emery system. His analysis showed that by pushing the left-back, usually Lucas Digne, upfield Torres has more space to either pass or dribble into more advanced areas. When Villa have the ball at the back you will often see the right-sided centre-back standing virtually on his own in the middle of the pitch and Torres being much wider and higher on the left, as seen in the examples below.

He ranks in the top four per cent of Europe’s central defenders for carries into the final third (1.6 per 90 minutes) and, impressively, among the top three per cent for total carrying distance, which is the total number of yards a player moves the ball upfield.

His passing incision cuts through compact defensive blocks and, as Emery desires from his deeper players, the Spaniard is adept at punching passes into forward players’ feet. There are several times each time Villa play that you will see Torres fire a pass into Ollie Watkins' feet as a sign that Villa have bypassed the opposition midfield.

Last season, Torres completed more switches of play than any other Villa player (26). His ability to twist his hips and pass from left to right is intelligently disguised as a way of Villa evading pressure. Villa are certainly at their best when Torres is on the pitch and can affect the game in possession. His absence through injury from December to March saw Villa win just two of their seven games in that time.

UTV