Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Nii Lamptey on June 29, 2023, 01:49:51 PM
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Pau Torres deal DONE according to Ornstein!
https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1674398071675822081
Aston Villa have now reached an agreement with Villarreal to sign centre-back Pau Torres. Personal terms are also in place for 26yo Spain international defender to join in what’s another big coup for #AVFC + manager Unai Emery
@TheAthleticFC
#Villarreal
EDIT:
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1674400529194135552?s=20
(https://i.ibb.co/JRNbZj7/Capture.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JRNbZj7)
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Pfft too slow.
Great news though!
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Welcome Pau. Be brilliant. Now for some wide players please.
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
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1m
Pau Torres to Aston Villa, here we go! Agreement in place — as revealed today Unai Emery wanted Pau to join this week and it’s gonna happen. 🚨🟣🔵 #AVFC
Contract agreed, also medical being scheduled. Villa will pay way less than the release clause.
Big one for Emery & Villa.
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Widely enough reported now that this might as well split from the transfer thread.
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Spaniard in Our Hands.
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Spoke to my mate in Vigo earlier.
Said Torres is fucking brilliant. I'll take that
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Villa will pay way less than the release clause.
Not my money, but that sounds reassuring.
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Nice one. We're getting the spine of the team reinforced with some great quality players.
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Will be great to have two outstanding defenders at right and left CB positions.
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This feels big. I'm not sure the last time that we signed a regular starter for on of the leading national sides in his prime (well, maybe Tielemans...?), but this is a step up from the type of signing we have been making. If he isn't world class now, he certainly has the potential to be very soon.
We have four excellent options to play at centre half. Two left footers, two right footers. I'm not sure many teams in the league have better options than us for both central defence and midfield. We're building something special. And we have two crests.
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Great news, welcome to the Villa, Pau
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Appears the fee will be in the region of £30m. So our summer window thus far is a starting Spanish and Belgian international in their mid 20s for a total of £30m or so.
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This feels big. I'm not sure the last time that we signed a regular starter for on of the leading national sides in his prime (well, maybe Tielemans...?), but this is a step up from the type of signing we have been making. If he isn't world class now, he certainly has the potential to be very soon.
We have four excellent options to play at centre half. Two left footers, two right footers. I'm not sure many teams in the league have better options than us for both central defence and midfield. We're building something special. And we have two crests.
;D ;D ;D
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Would be a fabulous signing if its announced officially in the near future.
He was one of the players I wanted us to sign because Emery plays out from the back & to have the quality of Torres sat in there would be a great starting point.
Especially when he's passing to the likes of Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Kamara, etc...
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
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1m
More on Pau Torres. Aston Villa are now preparing documents — understand the contract will be valid until June 2028. 🟣🔵🇪🇸 #AVFC
Five year deal being drafted, medical tests being scheduled.
Unai Emery will have the centre back he wanted since day 1 at the club.
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It looks like we've worked very, very hard to get this done. Congratulations to all at Villa, we must have been very persuasive.
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Although I saw someone on Twitter (who has done some pretty decent tactics posts and videos previously) describe him as similar to Maguire. I was absolutely gutted when I read it, but have put it down to him getting too much sun.
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
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7m
More on Pau Torres. Aston Villa are now preparing documents — understand the contract will be valid until June 2028. 🟣🔵🇪🇸 #AVFC
Five year deal being drafted, medical tests being scheduled.
Unai Emery will have the centre back he wanted since day 1 at the club.
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Just watched one of his highlights videos (yeah, I know...). Christ this guy can play out from the back alright.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
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Looks like it's happening now because Villareal want/need to bank the money by tomorrow to get it into this year's accounts.
https://twitter.com/sanchis14/status/1674403168397017088
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
There’s only a small amount of people who possess the ability to turn a huge positive into a negative. Bravo.
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We're like sharks in sensing blood.
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Disappointed as this rules our Harry Maguire joining us.
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Disappointed as this ruled our Harry Maguire joining us.
I'm sure we will still be linked, and Sancho is still out there.
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£30m is a fcuking disgrace. Should have paid the £55m.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
The guy is a Spanish International, it isn’t July yet , calm your blue flamed jets 😉
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
Like clockwork 🙄
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
You lot will certainly need a better striker if you plan on finishing in the top half of the championship this year.
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And another plus about this is that it brings out all of the Bayern Munich, Juventus, etc fans crying about how "unfair" it is that Villa can afford him & they cant. "The English Super League!!" they all cry.
They weren't crying while they took apart any competition from their own leagues by poaching any player that moved. They weren't crying when €113m was spunked on Cristiano Ronaldo, etc...
The taste of their tears is lovely...
Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
Hows about we act like a big boy & get both?
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Hopefully good Villa news will make Flinstone disappear for a while. It’s Kryptonite for him
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Tielemans, Monchi Torres.
Pretty decent effort so far
Who else I wonder?
Looking forward to the next few signings.
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Appears the fee will be in the region of £30m. So our summer window thus far is a starting Spanish and Belgian international in their mid 20s for a total of £30m or so.
That’s just brilliant isn’t it 😀
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
Do you really need to troll every topic?
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
Yawn yawn yawn.
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£30m is a fcuking disgrace. Should have paid the £55m.
That’s it. Keep signing £30M players dross when a Rolls Royce like Harry could have been here for £70M. When will we learn?
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Hopefully good Villa news will make Flinstone disappear for a while. It’s Kryptonite for him
You wish
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
I thought you wern’t bothered about the playing side because we now have an elite manager?
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
We need depth as we're in Europe, and it's not going to be like the invitational Inter Cities Fairs Cup circa 1958.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
You lot will certainly need a better striker if you plan on finishing in the top half of the championship this year.
I’ve backed them at 3-1 to go down.
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Please, don't feed the troll on here as well.
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It is obviously an area that Unai Emery felt needed strengthening, although I thought the Mings sand Konsa partnership did well after he took over last season.
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Why's he wearing last years kit? Yet another shambles from the club, like a claret and blue jackboot stomping on the face of an innocent Villa fan with little spare time's face, forverer
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A player i've not really seen play but have heard enough about. I fully trust Unai in the players he wants so all good with me.
This is really encouraging start to the transfer window from us, i don't care what order they come in, Unai will know what's needed and i trust the club to back him.
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Hopefully good Villa news will make Flinstone disappear for a while. It’s Kryptonite for him
You wish
He’d be a shit Man City fan
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I hope he is as good as people say as i am very limited to European / World wide players as rarely watch any football not involving the Villa :(
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Good quality signing Torres! A big guy at 6'3" To think we've bought him with the Ings and Chukwuemeka money! Now announce Harvey Barnes!
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🙌🏻🦁💜
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🙌🏻🦁💜
Is that you Tony (aka Dr Shitshoes)
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
:D
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You have to say that Flintstone has a pair of bollocks on him.
Most likely hanging on a gold-plated chain.
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🙌🏻🦁💜
Is that you Tony (aka Dr Shitshoes)
Yes, live tweeting from jail 😂
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Looks good. Likes to cut inside.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
:D
Yes that was my reaction too, so stupid it's funny.
Hopefully this will be a great signing, the sort of player a seventh placed team with designs on finishing higher and winning a trophy should be making.
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He looks like he'd make a good Sebastian Flyte when they next make a new Brideshead.
Edit: Torres, that is, not Flintstone. I'm sure he looks like a spring morning in Cumbernauld.
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This is a massive signing for me, superb player with a fantastic reputation. We're slowly building out a squad of real quality, an improvement at 10/wing and 2-3 backup/competition options and I reckon we're ready.
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That's absolutely brilliant news get in there.
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He looks like he'd make a good Sebastian Flyte when they next make a new Brideshead.
Ought we be defending every game, Sebastian?
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Looks good. Likes to cut inside.
Looks a bit like a Spanish John Stones (the recent, good version)
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Spaniard in Our Hands.
Underrated post
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One for Fred and Wilma:
https://twitter.com/stighefootball/status/1674408534488891392?s=46&t=KOlJt7QN0PeA2Wy3L22ybQ
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My favourite part of that video is the 'other positions' section near the start:
(https://i.ibb.co/0tDjYp8/2023-06-29-15-42-51.png) (https://ibb.co/0tDjYp8)
I can't imagine the people that put them together have used that combination on a video about a centre back before.
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It seems that some dirtbag from across the city has changed his name on wikipedia to 'Poo Torres'.
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Hahahaha!
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My favourite part of that video is the 'other positions' section near the start:
(https://i.ibb.co/0tDjYp8/2023-06-29-15-42-51.png) (https://ibb.co/0tDjYp8)
I can't imagine the people that put them together have used that combination on a video about a centre back before.
Yeah, that stood out for me too! Maybe he's been bought in to challenge Watkins
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Looks good. Likes to cut inside.
Looks a bit like a Spanish John Stones (the recent, good version)
In a lot of those clips he almost appears to be playing as a left back, he's out so wide. Does he play in a back 3 at Villareal?
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I’m so happy, that’s two excellent signings so far.
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One for Fred and Wilma:
https://twitter.com/stighefootball/status/1674408534488891392?s=46&t=KOlJt7QN0PeA2Wy3L22ybQ
Valid concerns IMO
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He looks like he'd make a good Sebastian Flyte when they next make a new Brideshead.
Edit: Torres, that is, not Flintstone. I'm sure he looks like a spring morning in Cumbernauld.
HMRC has left. The Factory of Sadness must move on.
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Costing around 35 million Birmingham City’s
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Costing around 35 million Birmingham City’s
Sniggers
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Costing around 35 million Birmingham City’s
What are they going to do with that much shit?
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Welcome amigo, please be good.
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Costing around 35 million Birmingham City’s
£35?! Bargain!
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Absolute gem from Molineux Mix.
"Torres is better than Mings, but I'm not sure he is better than Kilman"
Welcome Pau, this is the one I've been hoping for since the day Unai walked through the door.
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Absolute gem from Molineux Mix.
"Torres is better than Mings, but I'm not sure he is better than Kilman"
Welcome Pau, this is the one I've been hoping for since the day Unai walked through the door.
Who the hell is Kilman?
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I think we can list anyone making negative comments after this signing either as an intruder on a villa fans forum or an eternal pessimist.
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Absolute gem from Molineux Mix.
"Torres is better than Mings, but I'm not sure he is better than Kilman"
Welcome Pau, this is the one I've been hoping for since the day Unai walked through the door.
Who the hell is Kilman?
*wipes milk from mouth*
"Exactly"
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Absolute gem from Molineux Mix.
"Torres is better than Mings, but I'm not sure he is better than Kilman"
Welcome Pau, this is the one I've been hoping for since the day Unai walked through the door.
Who the hell is Kilman?
A clogging centre-back that they found in non-league football.
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Given LeeB’s posts today I’m fully expecting him to come by and say Torres isn’t as good as Chambers.
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Absolute gem from Molineux Mix.
"Torres is better than Mings, but I'm not sure he is better than Kilman"
Welcome Pau, this is the one I've been hoping for since the day Unai walked through the door.
Who the hell is Kilman?
A clogging centre-back that they found in non-league football.
I see. He does indeed sound better than Torres.
Welcome Pau.
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When he's finished one like Calum did at Elland Rd we can have that discussion, until then I stand firm.
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Welcome t’ Pau.
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Welcome t’ Pau.
I hope he gives it his heart and soul
Aaaaand we’re off …..
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They only did two songs didn't they?
I'll say welcome when it's officially official and all that.
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Absolute gem from Molineux Mix.
"Torres is better than Mings, but I'm not sure he is better than Kilman"
Welcome Pau, this is the one I've been hoping for since the day Unai walked through the door.
Who the hell is Kilman?
He was in Top Gun and played Batman for a bit in the 90s.
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Don’t know a lot about him but if Emery wanted him as a priority and the club delivered i’m really pleased.
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Does this mean Tyrone won’t be a regular starter or are we changing to a three?
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Does this mean Tyrone won’t be a regular starter or are we changing to a three?
Dan Bardell* tweeted on this subject earlier:
@danbardell
Also if you take into account the RB tucks in and it could very well be Konsa some of the time, it’s almost like one of Torres or Mings will be in the middle of a back 3 and the other is the left centre back.
*I have no idea, BE.
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Has Emery had previous playing 343 or similar? Him, Mings and Konsa is a pretty decent three. Not sure the rest of the squad would suit it though.
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Welcome Pau*
*Not a free, shit signing.
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Sorry I have to agree with Flintstones
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Sorry I have to agree with Flintstones
Nah, I think we're worried about Carlos, we're going to need this Pau fella.
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Yeah - I wonder if Carlos is pretty much crocked
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Welcome t’ Pau.
He plays it on the deck, ergo he's good.
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Does this mean Tyrone won’t be a regular starter or are we changing to a three?
Dan Bardell* tweeted on this subject earlier:
@danbardell
Also if you take into account the RB tucks in and it could very well be Konsa some of the time, it’s almost like one of Torres or Mings will be in the middle of a back 3 and the other is the left centre back.
*I have no idea, BE.
I'm wondering if he's going for a 3 at the back too. With wing backs, Moreno and Cash(?), Kamara in front of the back 3, Mcginn and Luiz in front of him, leaving 2 up front. Who knows, happy days though, great signing.
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I assume it's just for squad depth / flexibility - i.e. not playing the same formation every week.
Think it will become clearer - but at the moment, it feels like were just bring in quality and numbers.
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Unai doesn't do back 3's, not to my knowledge anyway.
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Hope this isn't the beginning of the end for Mings here, I love the bloke. But if he helps us win something then so be it.
He's not coming to sit on the bench, and if Emery doesn't play 3 CB's it's another interesting one to see what happens.
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I'll be amazed if we start any game next season with 3 CB and wingbacks. We will play many games with an asymmetrical back 4 though and that might include Konsa or Chambers moving across to right back alongside 2 from Mings, Torres and Carlos.
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Last season we played 41 games 38 league and 3 cup.
If we go all the way in Europe its 15 games, if we had a decent run in either or both domestic cups we would could have close to 60 games.
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Hope this isn't the beginning of the end for Mings here, I love the bloke. But if he helps us win something then so be it.
He's not coming to sit on the bench, and if Emery doesn't play 3 CB's it's another interesting one to see what happens.
He's only just signed a new contract, so I hope not. But then again it could be Emery looking after the financial side of things and making sure we can get a decent price if he was to leave any time soon.
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From that twitter link...
Mings and Konsa conceded 4 from open play in the last 14 games.
Pretty amazing stat tbh, either one of them will feel pretty hard done by to be dropped.
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From that twitter link...
Mings and Konsa conceded 4 from open play in the last 14 games.
Pretty amazing stat tbh, either one of them will feel pretty hard done by to be dropped.
I think they, and us, are going to need to get used to more squad rotation.
It also wouldn’t be a massive surprise if it took Torres a few weeks to get up to speed for the PL so it might be a while before he’s really pushing to start.
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From that twitter link...
Mings and Konsa conceded 4 from open play in the last 14 games.
Pretty amazing stat tbh, either one of them will feel pretty hard done by to be dropped.
Bloody hell do we want a Champions League squad or what?!? The competition for places puts the shits under all of them and if they don’t perform then they now know there are players to replace them. Just forget that sympathetic shit, we are entering a new era
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
Are you for real? This will be an incredible signing.
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In all my time supporting Villa we've never had proper squad rotation. If someone is out the team it's because they have been dropped or rested. We need two top.quality players.for each position plus some fillers. Buying a central defender doesn't stop us getting a forward
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
I hadn't realised that Tielemans and Torres was the end of our summer business. Emery out.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
I hadn't realised that Tielemans and Torres was the end of our summer business. Emery out.
Indeed. Anyone would think there might be an agenda.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
You don't have to be sick to get better.
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I'll be amazed if we start any game next season with 3 CB and wingbacks. We will play many games with an asymmetrical back 4 though and that might include Konsa or Chambers moving across to right back alongside 2 from Mings, Torres and Carlos.
I think that's what Bardell meant - that it will look like three at the back sometimes, with Moreno playing higher, but we'll still defend as a back four.
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Yes please don’t sign really highly rated players Villa. I’m assuming we didn’t need Tielemans either as we have some midfielders.
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Big fan of this guy.
Superb reader of the game and has excellent leadership qualities, he reminds me plenty of Mellberg tbh and has the Europa trophy and CL games to back it up.
Pau, Mings, Konsa and Diego Carlos is a brilliant quartet of CBs to compete in domestic and european football.
Finally a summer where we're signing quality over quantity.
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From that twitter link...
Mings and Konsa conceded 4 from open play in the last 14 games.
Pretty amazing stat tbh, either one of them will feel pretty hard done by to be dropped.
I think they, and us, are going to need to get used to more squad rotation.
It also wouldn’t be a massive surprise if it took Torres a few weeks to get up to speed for the PL so it might be a while before he’s really pushing to start.
He'll play the europa play off for sure.
I was trying to remember what system we actually played when Diego Carlos came on at Wolves.
It was late and we were losing but that suggests Emery will tweak at times and go 3atb perhaps?
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
You’d think Villa fans would give Emery a bit of credit, after the season we’ve just had.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
Are you for real? This will be an incredible signing.
No he/she isn't, don't waste your time.Great signing if it happens.
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Not seen him play many times - though a few websites suggest he is just as comfortable playing as the right CB.
Assuming he settles well, I see him being integrated with the ambition that he will be in the first choice pairing with Mings.
Not beyond the realms of possibility that Konsa will sometimes get picked at RB unless we recruit someone in this window to directly challenge Cash (with KKH off to Plymouth for the season). UTV.
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I'll be amazed if we start any game next season with 3 CB and wingbacks. We will play many games with an asymmetrical back 4 though and that might include Konsa or Chambers moving across to right back alongside 2 from Mings, Torres and Carlos.
I was talking way back about the way the Arse used Ben White and Zinchenko last season in an asymmetrical set-up, and Torres gives us that option. The point being that Torres brings us options and flexibility in the way that we play from the back.
Now, what about our attacking options?!
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He looks like he'd make a good Sebastian Flyte when they next make a new Brideshead.
Edit: Torres, that is, not Flintstone. I'm sure he looks like a spring morning in Cumbernauld.
Waugh And Piss
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
You’d think Villa fans would give Emery a bit of credit, after the season we’ve just had.
Indeed.
I don’t understand what is hard to understand about us needing better options and more of them across the pitch.
That’s the centre halves sorted. I am sure we’ll move onto other parts of the pitch now.
Also reading people saying “what about Mings? Is he not going to be a starter?”
We won’t have starters and non starters, we will have a squad where the average skill level is higher than it used to be and then it’s up to players to claim a spot by being better than others in their position.
We need to stop this small time “starting eleven plus back ups” thinking.
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Hope he doesn't get injured as easily as China in yiur hand.
Ill get my coat.
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Do we really need another defender. We're crying out for a front man
My thoughts exactly.
Yeah, I initially I thought that this was a great signing - an excellent defender who perfectly suits our style of play. But you're both right - it's even more positive than that.
If we're spending this money on a player that isn't in a priority position, but just because it's a great opportunity to improve the overall quality of the squad - what are we going to do for the positions that we do see as a priority?! I think the only place we differ in opinion is that I'd say a winger and an attacking midfielder are more of a priority than a front man, but hey, let's get one of them too!
Exciting times! Great to see some positivity after a slow few weeks.
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been saying this for ages. Stop thinking that every player is a guaranteed starter. With the exception of Emi Martinez every position should be rotatable. Every current starter can be benched because it makes sense to do so on occasion based on form, opponent, health, tactics etc. We need to at least two top players in every position.
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I'll be amazed if we start any game next season with 3 CB and wingbacks. We will play many games with an asymmetrical back 4 though and that might include Konsa or Chambers moving across to right back alongside 2 from Mings, Torres and Carlos.
I think that's what Bardell meant - that it will look like three at the back sometimes, with Moreno playing higher, but we'll still defend as a back four.
Who?
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Hope this isn't the beginning of the end for Mings here, I love the bloke. But if he helps us win something then so be it.
He's not coming to sit on the bench, and if Emery doesn't play 3 CB's it's another interesting one to see what happens.
We are going to play a lot of games next season. Rotate rotation.
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I'll be amazed if we start any game next season with 3 CB and wingbacks. We will play many games with an asymmetrical back 4 though and that might include Konsa or Chambers moving across to right back alongside 2 from Mings, Torres and Carlos.
I think that's what Bardell meant - that it will look like three at the back sometimes, with Moreno playing higher, but we'll still defend as a back four.
Who?
https://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=64040.90#:~:text=to%20a%20three%3F-,Dan%20Bardell*%20tweeted%20on,have%20no%20idea%2C%20BE.,-Report%20to%20moderator
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From that twitter link...
Mings and Konsa conceded 4 from open play in the last 14 games.
Pretty amazing stat tbh, either one of them will feel pretty hard done by to be dropped.
I think they, and us, are going to need to get used to more squad rotation.
It also wouldn’t be a massive surprise if it took Torres a few weeks to get up to speed for the PL so it might be a while before he’s really pushing to start.
He'll play the europa play off for sure.
I was trying to remember what system we actually played when Diego Carlos came on at Wolves.
It was late and we were losing but that suggests Emery will tweak at times and go 3atb perhaps?
We took Young off, moved Konsa to right back and had Diego Carlos and Mings as the centre back pairing.
Emery's previously said that this guy is the best centre back that he's ever worked with.
Bayern Munich and Juventus wanted this guy, that's his calibre. Fortunately for us Munich are going after Min-Jae Kim and Juventus can't afford him. We're getting great value here.
Emery's thinking seems to be that he wants 2 quality options per position and if you're going to do that, you might as well sign someone who, it could be argued, is better than the player you already have in that position.
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Let’s hope he gives his heart and soul.
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Pau Torres vs every other central defender in La Liga last season:
◉ Most touches (2560)
◉ Most passes completed (1846)
◉ Most passes in final ⅓ (275)
◉ Most through balls (3)
◉ Most take-ons completed (26)
◎ Second-most chances created (14)
https://twitter.com/avfcstatto/status/1674429736687394818?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
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Pau Torres vs every other central defender in La Liga last season:
◉ Most touches (2560)
◉ Most passes completed (1846)
◉ Most passes in final ⅓ (275)
◉ Most through balls (3)
◉ Most take-ons completed (26)
◎ Second-most chances created (14)
https://twitter.com/avfcstatto/status/1674429736687394818?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
Additionally,
Among other central defenders in the Spanish top flight, Torres finished fourth in blocks, sixth for ground duels won, second for last man tackles and fifth for recoveries
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Unai Emery in 2021 on Pau Torres
"I've been a coach in Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal and I've never seen a centre-back like Pau Torres. I think he's going to play at the highest level."
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been saying this for ages. Stop thinking that every player is a guaranteed starter. With the exception of Emi Martinez every position should be rotatable. Every current starter can be benched because it makes sense to do so on occasion based on form, opponent, health, tactics etc. We need to at least two top players in every position.
Exactly - Liverpool have probably Allison and Robertson as the only definite high quality starters now, even Salah not guaranteed. Not sure what it means for Chambers unless we don't sign a right back, which we really need to.
If Ramsey can certainly play further up the pitch - looking at him he can , then we need one more forward/attacker and definitely a very good back up keeper.
All of a sudden the bench could be e.g. Carlos, Konsa, McGinn, Buendia, Digne, Archer, Duran and Cash - 150m+ in terms of value and no space for Bert or Bailey
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Sorry I have to agree with Flintstones
Nah, I think we're worried about Carlos, we're going to need this Pau fella.
cast the line and caught myself a fish 🐠
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I'll be amazed if we start any game next season with 3 CB and wingbacks. We will play many games with an asymmetrical back 4 though and that might include Konsa or Chambers moving across to right back alongside 2 from Mings, Torres and Carlos.
Konsa was absolutely rotten when he played there previously, including Gerrard's last game at Fulham. CB isn't a position that most team rotate all that much but I guess we will hopefully go deep into multiple cup competitions so will be forced to.
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Bayern Munich and Juventus wanted this guy, that's his calibre. Fortunately for us Munich are going after Min-Jae Kim and Juventus can't afford him. We're getting great value here.
I can only assume we'll get Chiesa from Juve now too. We just didn't want to give them the funds to nick Torres off us first.
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This would be a great addition to our defence.
BUT
Is it official?
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Good signing, and different sort of player to Mings - Torres is better at passing, but Mings is far better in the air.
Emery is very much a manager that will adjust selection and tactics to suit the opposition, having two excellent but different options at left centre back will help him do this. I think Mings will play as many games as Torres, horses for courses.
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Sounds a good signing, but I’ve never really heard of him, because I only watch Villa games, and can’t be bothered with the European trophies (until next season), and have better things to do like pick up birds, listen to rock’n’roll and have switchblade fights!
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He seems to always do some crazy skill to control the ball. None of that shit is gonna fly in the Premier League next season.
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This would be a great addition to our defence.
BUT
Is it official?
No not yet.
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As others have said, if we want to be winning trophies and going deep in all 3 Cup competitions, as well as being nigh on impossible to draw against at Villa Park, never mind beat and stingy as anything away, we need the squad.
Cast your mind back to Molineux and Old Trafford and we looked a little leggy, especially in the first half at Man United. Having genuine depth and quality will allow the rotation, from Thursday to Sunday. Tielemans and Torres being options to bring on or pop Konsa and Luiz on the bench to rest for a game or two etc, is what we need.
He looks like he might need a bit of acclimatisation to get used to the physical side of the league, but his passing is exceptional. Dunk at Brighton finding that line breaking pass is a huge reason they were successful (and only 1 point above us). Us being better at that, retaining possession will lead to more domination.
Signing high quality internationals from a position of strength. Hugely positive signs.
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From that twitter link...
Mings and Konsa conceded 4 from open play in the last 14 games.
Pretty amazing stat tbh, either one of them will feel pretty hard done by to be dropped.
I think they, and us, are going to need to get used to more squad rotation.
It also wouldn’t be a massive surprise if it took Torres a few weeks to get up to speed for the PL so it might be a while before he’s really pushing to start.
Strong squad depth & quality seems like an alien concept to some Villa fans.
On another forum I frequent, everybody is excited for Villa having our central midfield & centre backs.
A few of them have spoken of our strength in depth & how far that could take us.
If wish that the majority of Villa fans could see this as a positive instead of worrying it may upset one of the four...
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ITSOTP
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It was only a couple of months ago that some didn't want us to qualify for Europe as we didn't have the squad for it, we now seem to building a squad for it and still there's some that don't seem happy.
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Pau Torres won’t undergo medicals this week — after holidays he will travel to UK, now waiting for documents to be signed between Aston Villa & Villarreal. 🟣🔵 #AVFC
ℹ️ Understand the precise, final fee is €32.5m plus €5m add-ons. Bargain for new director Monchi.
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£27.8m - bargain!
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Pau Torres won’t undergo medicals this week — after holidays he will travel to UK, now waiting for documents to be signed between Aston Villa & Villarreal. 🟣🔵 #AVFC
ℹ️ Understand the precise, final fee is €32.5m plus €5m add-ons. Bargain for new director Monchi.
Wow, if the true number is right around 30m pounds then we’ve done great business.
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ITSOTP
OPSTS
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Can someone translate? is this a shirt stretching reference?
-
ITSOP = In the shirt, on the pitch (i.e. 'I'll believe it when I see it'). No idea what BE's done there.
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ITSOP = In the shirt, on the pitch (i.e. 'I'll believe it when I see it'). No idea what BE's done there.
French translation?
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Official post stretching the shirt?
Either way I agree with the sentiment.
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On pitch stretching the shirt?
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Old people smell the same?
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On Pravda Stretching The Shirt.
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Pau Torres won’t undergo medicals this week — after holidays he will travel to UK, now waiting for documents to be signed between Aston Villa & Villarreal. 🟣🔵 #AVFC
ℹ️ Understand the precise, final fee is €32.5m plus €5m add-ons. Bargain for new director Monchi.
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Oh god it’s already been posted.
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What could go wrong? The fee is only known to the rest of the English speaking world it’s not as if someone could outbid us.
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What could go wrong? The fee is only known to the rest of the English speaking world it’s not as if someone could outbid us.
They agreed a fee for him with Spurs before and then the player decided he wanted to stay, so I'd be more concerned about that happening again than someone outbidding us.
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Well it sounds like the clubs are agreeing to the deal, which will be subject to a medical. I don't imagine that they're leaving the deal totally unsigned until he gets back from his hols.
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Chill out lads he'll be our player. 8)
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ITSOP = In the shirt, on the pitch (i.e. 'I'll believe it when I see it'). No idea what BE's done there.
French translation?
IzSOzP
-
ITSOP = In the shirt, on the pitch (i.e. 'I'll believe it when I see it'). No idea what BE's done there.
French translation?
IzSOzP
DLMSLT
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I don't watch much football outside of teams I've a direct interest in, but this seems a bit of a coup. We must have one of the strongest defensive spines in the Premier League now.
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For the kind of money we are talking about, if the deal is agreed, why doesn't someone fly out to where he is and come back with all the papers sorted?
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For the kind of money we are talking about, if the deal is agreed, why doesn't someone fly out to where he is and come back with all the papers sorted?
Perhaps they've already sorted the paperwork, and done exactly that - that tweet only mentions the medical.
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Chill out lads he'll be our player. 8)
Yeah, he's on his honeymoon and Unai is no Didier Deschamps.
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For the kind of money we are talking about, if the deal is agreed, why doesn't someone fly out to where he is and come back with all the papers sorted?
That's my thought too. It's a bit like buying your dream car with the vendor agreeing the price only then telling you he's taking it on his hols to the South of France before he drops it off to you in a few weeks.
For what it's worth, I think he's already signed and he's now just taking his rearranged holiday.
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How do these things get to Fab? Usually the players' agent? In which case I would have thought it is definitely done but just needs to go through the usual PR and medical etc.
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Surely, any honeymoon would only be improved by a trip to Villa Park and a firm handshake from Unai?
Enough to make any bride swoon.
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I really hope he is as class an act as people are suggesting - even non Villa quarters it is getting a lot of positive vibes
On to the next one
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
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I really hope he is as class an act as people are suggesting - even non Villa quarters it is getting a lot of positive vibes
Saw one Liverpool fan wonder whether he had the physicality for the PL but otherwise it's been universally positive, with more "It's a deal, it's a steal, it's the sale of the fucking century!" vibes than people questioning it.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
McGinn!
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
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A lot of women I know like Watkins as well.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
*note to self* - expect a phone call some time soon.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
We were in need of another hunk after letting Ash go.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
*note to self* - expect a phone call some time soon.
Mate, we’re selling calendars not haunting houses.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
*note to self* - expect a phone call some time soon.
Mate, we’re selling calendars not haunting houses.
:)
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Must admit I have a bit of a man crush with Tyrone. If I could have a size,shape, physique of anyone it would be his
Where is that bromide :o
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What’s going on everyone? Here’s a video detailing everything you need to know about Pau Torres in 2 minutes for those interested. While there are certain weaknesses to his game, I reckon Torres will not only become Villa’s best centre half, but also one of their best players in general. Incredible signing and one that a club of Villa’s stature deserves, top 4 incoming at this rate!
https://youtu.be/u9OC_mjRF8c
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His pace is quite underrated.
He was clocked doing nearly 22 miles per hour back in 2021.
That placed him in the top 5 fastest players in the La Liga for that season.
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Better video of Pau,
He looks great, could we be the first team to play 2 left footed central defenders perhaps?
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Why does it matter if he's left-footed? So weird. Teams play two right-footed centre-backs all the time!
Just one of those weird football things. Mustn't have too many left-footers in a team! Because they're...um...weird!
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
*note to self* - expect a phone call some time soon.
Mate, we’re selling calendars not haunting houses.
*turns off phone*
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Why does it matter if he's left-footed? So weird. Teams play two right-footed centre-backs all the time!
Just one of those weird football things. Mustn't have too many left-footers in a team! Because they're...um...weird!
I’ve read he’s pretty much as good with his right foot.
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Interesting to see him do some many of those little cutbacks to send the attacker. Mings used to do a lot of that sort of thing, and would get caught out (what felt like) a lot. Mings seems to have stopped doing so much of that of late and he's been imperious. Interested to see if Torres retains that side to his game.
ITSOTP, of course.
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Interesting to see him do some many of those little cutbacks to send the attacker. Mings used to do a lot of that sort of thing, and would get caught out (what felt like) a lot. Mings seems to have stopped doing so much of that of late and he's been imperious. Interested to see if Torres retains that side to his game.
ITSOTP, of course.
I thought that, watching the video. He'll have to get used to not being able to piss around with the ball so much, because he'll be caught out in the PL.
I'm sure he'll be able to manage that, though.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
Real men don't care how they look to others. They know what they like, and that is it.
Deep down, that is what women want as well. None of these poncy footballers, rolling about crying, doing their makeup. Checking where they are on the 'top 100 hot footballers' list.
They want some big wonky, deep-voiced fucker like Liam Neeson to come along and carry them away.
A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
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Haha.
Yeah, footballers and gym freak guys aren’t anywhere near as attractive as they think they are.
Gimme a normal lad who likes a pie any day of the week.
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Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
Real men don't care how they look to others. They know what they like, and that is it.
Deep down, that is what women want as well. None of these poncy footballers, rolling about crying, doing their makeup. Checking where they are on the 'top 100 hot footballers' list.
They want some big wonky, deep-voiced fucker like Liam Neeson to come along and carry them away.
A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
Do you write Mills & Boon books by any chance?
-
Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
Real men don't care how they look to others. They know what they like, and that is it.
Deep down, that is what women want as well. None of these poncy footballers, rolling about crying, doing their makeup. Checking where they are on the 'top 100 hot footballers' list.
They want some big wonky, deep-voiced fucker like Liam Neeson to come along and carry them away.
A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
Do you write Mills & Boon books by any chance?
A man can dream.
-
Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
Real men don't care how they look to others. They know what they like, and that is it.
Deep down, that is what women want as well. None of these poncy footballers, rolling about crying, doing their makeup. Checking where they are on the 'top 100 hot footballers' list.
They want some big wonky, deep-voiced fucker like Liam Neeson to come along and carry them away.
A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
Don't you need an example of a man of substance, who the women like, who isn't a sexy bastard, though?
Fair point on real men.
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A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
I'm strictly butter-side up, but I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least ask... Marry me?
-
Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
Real men don't care how they look to others. They know what they like, and that is it.
Deep down, that is what women want as well. None of these poncy footballers, rolling about crying, doing their makeup. Checking where they are on the 'top 100 hot footballers' list.
They want some big wonky, deep-voiced fucker like Liam Neeson to come along and carry them away.
A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
Don't you need an example of a man of substance, who the women like, who isn't a sexy bastard, though?
Fair point on real men.
It was only a joke building up to my claim that Tyrone is the sexiest of all.
I have no idea what women like or want.
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A man who has never looked in a mirror but who recognises her beauty immediately. He will love her with the skill and confidence of experience but the passion of a man who has never seen a woman before.
He doesn't need her, but will defend her with his life. She knows she is free and fully respected, but stays with him because she knows what she's got going on.
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
I'm strictly butter-side up, but I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least ask... Marry me?
Haha, PM me a couple of pics and we can talk brass tacks.
-
Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
Don't you need an example of a man of substance, who the women like, who isn't a sexy bastard, though?
Fair point on real men.
It was only a joke building up to my claim that Tyrone is the sexiest of all.
I have no idea what women like or want.
Sorry Rory, that was incredibly thick by me.
-
Also joins DL, Mings, Moreno, Watkins, Cash et al in maintaining our position as the most handsome squad in the league.
Buendia!
Diego Carlos!
Don't quite see it with Buendia, but you're right - Diego Carlos was a big omission.
Carlos just needs to accept that he's bald, then he can go on the list. Looks daft, mate (I wouldn't say that to his face).
He is strong, confident, unstoppable, but she knows she has his ear like nobody else.
...basically I'm thinking of Tyrone, but most of the women I know find footballers deeply unattractive. They'd prefer a man of substance.
Which is where Tyrone steps in.
(Ladies, feel free to challenge.)
Don't you need an example of a man of substance, who the women like, who isn't a sexy bastard, though?
Fair point on real men.
It was only a joke building up to my claim that Tyrone is the sexiest of all.
I have no idea what women like or want.
Sorry Rory, that was incredibly thick by me.
No, my fault entirely for getting so into the thought process of which Villa player I'd do first!
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I can't understand why women don't throw themselves at the feet of fat little old blokes who drink too much and would rather watch Villa than have sex.
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I can't understand why women don't throw themselves at the feet of fat little old blokes who drink too much and would rather watch Villa than have sex.
Because most women think men like that are out of their league, so don't even bother.
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I can't understand why women don't throw themselves at the feet of fat little old blokes who drink too much and would rather watch Villa than have sex.
Because most women think men like that are out of their league, so don't even bother.
Thanks for reassuring me Rory. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me :D
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I can't understand why women don't throw themselves at the feet of fat little old blokes who drink too much and would rather watch Villa than have sex.
Because most women think men like that are out of their league, so don't even bother.
Thanks for reassuring me Rory. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me :D
What can I say, you're a victim of your own attractiveness, Aftab. Women think you're unattainable.
They just sigh, think 'who am I kidding? I wouldn't stand a chance with a man like that' and move on.
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Are there any women in H&V?
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Are there any women in H&V?
I can think of at least four regulars. But behind usernames, there could be loads, I suppose.
Mods, any idea?
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Are there any women in H&V?
I can think of at least four regulars. But behind usernames, there could be loads, I suppose.
Mods, any idea?
I am a woman.
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Are there any women in H&V?
I can think of at least four regulars. But behind usernames, there could be loads, I suppose.
Mods, any idea?
I am a woman.
And so’s my wife.
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I am a woman
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My pronouns are "that" and "it".
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I'm every women
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I want you to call me Loretta
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I want you to call me Loretta
But you haven’t got a womb.I want you to call me Loretta
But you haven’t got a womb!
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I’m in touch with my feminine side. I was watching the women’s ashes earlier.
-
I've got a womb, in fact there are several in our house.
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I m not a woman, but still interested in Pau Torres - is he any good? Someone seen him play recently?
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I m not a woman, but still interested in Pau Torres - is he any good? Someone seen him play recently?
Can you stay on topic, please?
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I m not a woman, but still interested in Pau Torres - is he any good? Someone seen him play recently?
Can you stay on topic, please?
How is that topic relevant?
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I m not a woman, but still interested in Pau Torres - is he any good? Someone seen him play recently?
Can you stay on topic, please?
How is that topic relevant?
POSTING FOR EFFECT WARNING!
Do they still do that on VillaTalk any more? The red text thing.
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Yesterdays news from Fab Romano:
"Pau Torres won’t undergo medicals this week — after holidays he will travel to UK, now waiting for documents to be signed between Aston Villa & Villarreal. 🟣🔵 #AVFC
ℹ️ Understand the precise, final fee is €32.5m plus €5m add-ons. Bargain for new director Monchi."
-
Astnor why are you posting this news on here?
By the way your name spelled backward, Rontsa, sounds very ladylike.
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Astnor why are you posting this news on here?
By the way your name spelled backward, Rontsa, sounds very ladylike.
:) Then there is this frase: "If you point the finger at someone you have three fingers pointing at yourself!"
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Astnor why are you posting this news on here?
By the way your name spelled backward, Rontsa, sounds very ladylike.
:) Then there is this frase: "If you point the finger at someone you have three fingers pointing at yourself!"
'Batfalo' doesn't sound too great.
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Astnor why are you posting this news on here?
By the way your name spelled backward, Rontsa, sounds very ladylike.
:) Then there is this frase: "If you point the finger at someone you have three fingers pointing at yourself!"
'Batfalo' doesn't sound too great.
Good mozzarella though.
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Astnor why are you posting this news on here?
By the way your name spelled backward, Rontsa, sounds very ladylike.
:) Then there is this frase: "If you point the finger at someone you have three fingers pointing at yourself!"
'Batfalo' doesn't sound too great.
Good mozzarella though.
Oh undoubtedly, Dave.
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PETE JENSON: Aston Villa have pulled off a major coup by signing Pau Torres... but Unai Emery has his work cut out to get the defender back to his best after a below-par season for Villarreal
Aston Villa have signed defender Pau Torres from Villarreal for £35 million
The Spaniard shone in Unai Emery's time at the club but fell away last season
The signing of Pau Torres represents great business for Aston Villa – he is only 26, he’s left-sided, and he’s only costing them £35m. But the move also represents a huge challenge for Unai Emery.
It was Emery, when he was at Villarreal, who helped established Torres as Spain’s first choice centre-back under Luis Enrique. Since Emery left, Torres has slipped out the national squad.
The most talented centre-back to emerge in Spain since Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, began to stagnate a bit last season – the queue of suitors diminished and so did the giant strides he made as a young player.
Emery will know all about the potential. Sporting Director Monchi will also know exactly what former Sevilla defender Diego Carlos needs to have alongside him – if it does end up being the plan to pair the two (Tyrone Mings, certainly better in the air than both of them, will have other ideas).
But both Emery and Monchi will be aware that Torres will need to improve on certain areas of his game if he is to acclimatize to the Premier League and fulfill his huge potential.
His greatest attribute is his ability to bring the ball out from the back. His pass completion rate was good for Villarreal and the numbers were not built on sideways balls to his central defensive partner, he was asked to be incisive and pass through the opposition’s lines.
If he progresses well under Emery then he could end up giving Villa something of what John Stones gives Manchester City.
His willingness to play out will be targeted by teams but playing for Luis Enrique with the national side he showed he could play out under pressure.
His recovery pace is good too. One of his early partners in the Spain team was Ramos who loves a forward foray leaving space behind him that can be exposed if the team lose possession. Torres was quick and alert enough to deal with that.
He had the same situation under another ball-playing central defensive partner in Eric Garcia. Alongside Carlos or Mings – assuming Ezri Konsa moves to right-back – it is unlikely to be an issue.
But covering the attacking runs of his left back will be, and that’s another well-developed trait to his game.
Spain always play with an offensive player down that flank and he will be able to cover the runs of Alex Moreno.
The facets that will most need to be developed are his aerial game and his aggression. The second should not be a problem.
He is a powerful athlete he will soon grow accustomed to the subtle difference in refereeing between Spain and England and the way a more permissive match official makes for more physical and combatant duels. Likewise in the air he will have to improve, but standing at 6ft 3ins there is no reason why he won’t.
None of this might be enough to convince skeptical Villa fans who are wondering why no one in Spain snapped him up at such a good price. Barcelona might have been interested but are restricted to free transfers and so preferred Athletic Bilbao’s Iñigo Martinez who had run his contract down. Madrid don’t need centre-backs.
As for the apparent waning interest from Liverpool and Manchester United – it will perhaps have something to do with that tailing off of development. But in part, it was the fact that he did not move when it was first mooted that has stopped him growing as a player.
Torres spoke to Mail Sport in late 2021, a couple of months after his faultless displays in Europe had landed Villarreal their first trophy – the Europa League – and made him the target for big clubs in England.
He wanted to stay and play for his hometown side for the first time ever in the Champions League. He is the first Villarreal-born player to play European football for the club.
‘For me it was a dream come true to play in the competition with the club of my life,’ he said. That interview took place just as Emery was turning down Newcastle.
The coach stayed for similar reasons – they had both got Villarreal into this position and they wanted to experience it. And for Torres there was that added pull of responsibility that representing his own family and friends brings – he had felt it when taking the penalty in the shoot-out in the Europa League final against Manchester United.
‘I couldn’t miss,’ he said. ‘I am the only one from the town and there were lots of people in the stand that I knew.’
It was noticeable during his time at the club that while the rest of the squad lived in the surrounding cities or coastal towns Torres stayed in Villarreal, even buying a property in the small town of just 50,000 people.
All that was admirable and it went well the following season when Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
But last season, when Emery eventually moved on, it was a reminder that advancing his career probably meant leaving. The romance of his story was no longer compensation for the way his development had been stunted costing him his place in the Spain team.
Now he is back with his old boss and if they can manage to pick up where they left off the last time they were together, Pau will soon be back in the Spain team, and Unai will be guiding Villa to a trophy.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
Emery likes this lop-sided business. Left full-back overlaps, right one tucks in etc. Bit like we used to do in midfield with Morley and Bremner.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
The theory is so we can become a back three whilst Moreno bombs forward. I like the tactic but I’m not sure Konsa is that well suited to it, as he would need to push forward himself. And i;m not sure that’s his game. I actually think Cash tucking in has more potential due to his recovery pace and tackling.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
The theory is so we can become a back three whilst Moreno bombs forward. I like the tactic but I’m not sure Konsa is that well suited to it, as he would need to push forward himself. And i;m not sure that’s his game. I actually think Cash tucking in has more potential due to his recovery pace and tackling.
I cant see Konsa as a RB either. The one game he was moved over there to the end of last season when Carlos came on - he didnt do too well; he was rounded and didnt contribute to the forward game. Also I m a big fan of Konsa and had hoped he had done well there as we are short on RB and the competition for a CB spot is tougher than since longer than I can remember.
Very interesting to see how our defence will shape up next season with all those very able CB s with different quality. BTW how come British CB s often better than foreigners in the air?
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I think it's funny how folk have been so traumatised by the Bruce & Gerrard years, there's this ingrained assumption that we're going to play at least one player out of position.
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Playing Konsa at right back in an Emery team who likes his full backs mobile, adventurous and Bombing forward is probably one of the most ridiculous suggestions and things I’ve ever read on here
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
Emery likes this lop-sided business. Left full-back overlaps, right one tucks in etc. Bit like we used to do in midfield with Morley and Bremner.
Now you'd think that was done almost by design but never seen it mentioned in the Press as obviously no way Sir Ron would have been smart enough to do that.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
Emery likes this lop-sided business. Left full-back overlaps, right one tucks in etc. Bit like we used to do in midfield with Morley and Bremner.
Now you'd think that was done almost by design but never seen it mentioned in the Press as obviously no way Sir Ron would have been smart enough to do that.
Probably copying Clough or Paisley.
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Playing Konsa at right back in an Emery team who likes his full backs mobile, adventurous and Bombing forward is probably one of the most ridiculous suggestions and things I’ve ever read on here
It’s up there with we should sign Ayoze Perez.
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Konsa has little confidence with the ball at his feet, he always squares it to Mings to do something proactive with it and with good reason. He's not technically gifted as a dribbler nor distributor.
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Playing Konsa at right back in an Emery team who likes his full backs mobile, adventurous and Bombing forward is probably one of the most ridiculous suggestions and things I’ve ever read on here
Cash himself has said Emery doesn’t want him bombing forward.
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When is he actually signing?
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Playing Konsa at right back in an Emery team who likes his full backs mobile, adventurous and Bombing forward is probably one of the most ridiculous suggestions and things I’ve ever read on here
Cash himself has said Emery doesn’t want him bombing forward.
I’m glad someone else is paying attention.
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When is he actually signing?
When he's back from holiday apparently.
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When is he actually signing?
eastie said Pau was at his Grandma's house this weekend and it's his niece's birthday on Tuesday so he will come to Birmingham on Wednesday.
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When is he actually signing?
When he's back from holiday apparently.
Surely people living in Spain don't need to go on holiday :o
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When is he actually signing?
When he's back from holiday apparently.
Surely people living in Spain don't need to go on holiday :o
He’s only in Rhyl.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
Arsenal did it all last season, with White at FB becoming a 3rd CB when they were in possession; with the LB moving into midfield.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
Arsenal did it all last season, with White at FB becoming a 3rd CB when they were in possession; with the LB moving into midfield.
Didn’t Zinchenco (sp?) generally rotate into CM? The Emery version means Moreno becomes a winger.
I hate to give him credit but these do feel like variations on Guardiola’s tactics with Lahm at Bayern.
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Why on earth would we push Konsa out to right back?
Arsenal did it all last season, with White at FB becoming a 3rd CB when they were in possession; with the LB moving into midfield.
White is rubbish as a FB.
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Konsa has little confidence with the ball at his feet, he always squares it to Mings to do something proactive with it and with good reason. He's not technically gifted as a dribbler nor distributor.
There was though a great improvement in this aspect of Konsa's play in the last few months of the season.
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Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Aston Villa are set to book medical tests this week for Pau Torres, returning to Europe after getting married one week ago. 🟣🔵🇪🇸 #AVFC
Documents are completed with Villarreal, all set for club statement: €32.5m plus €5m add-ons is the final fee.
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He is apparently on top of the world after winning the Donkey Derby in Conwy yesterday.
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He is apparently on top of the world after winning the Donkey Derby in Conwy yesterday.
There's a marvellous bit in Sir Graham's book where he tells all the players to bring their passports and they all board a coach. He takes them to Pontins instead.
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Being reported in some quarters that contracts have now been signed and it's all official.
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Will he be our record signing or does the tyke Buendia maintain his status due to the shit exchange rate or summat ?
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Will he be our record signing or does the tyke Buendia maintain his status due to the shit exchange rate or summat ?
Quite a bit cheaper than Buendia, according to reports.
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In this age of inflated transfer fees it's a bit surprising he's still our only £30m+ transfer.
When you consider Wolves have had three, West Ham have had six and Chelsea have had thirty three.
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In this age of inflated transfer fees it's a bit surprising he's still our only £30m+ transfer.
When you consider Wolves have had three, West Ham have had six and Chelsea have had thirty three.
No wonder this sort of situation makes Flintstone and other net spenders mad. We won't get anywhere unless we start paying £50M+ for players.
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In this age of inflated transfer fees it's a bit surprising he's still our only £30m+ transfer.
When you consider Wolves have had three, West Ham have had six and Chelsea have had thirty three.
...Last transfer window.
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I read this elsewhere with regards to the Pau Torres transfer - If I were Gregg I would ask to report on another football club - he just does not like us.
There's a real whopper from Greg Evans in The Athletic, I can't reproduce the article here because it's behind a subscription/ paywall, but to give you a flavour he writes, " The hope is he becomes more of a Carlos Cuellar than a Jose Angel Crespo."
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Pau Torres: Is Aston Villa signing the defender really the coup it appears?
By Gregg Evans and Thom Harris
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Pau Torres’ imminent arrival at Aston Villa is his reunion with their head coach, Unai Emery.
Torres, the 26-year-old centre-half who is leaving Villarreal for the ambitious project underway at Villa Park, was a star at his hometown club and, in particular, during Emery’s time captaining the Yellow Submarine, as the La Liga club are known because of the colour of their kit.
It was on Villarreal’s journey towards winning the Europa League in 2021 and then to the semi-finals of the Champions League the following year that Torres’ stock rose considerably. He became one of the most talked-about defenders across the European game, with almost every top club taking an interest.
The €50million (£43m; $54.5m) release clause in his contract, due to expire in the summer of 2024, was put there to protect the Villarreal for the day when one of the big boys came calling. Bayern Munich recently weighed up a move for him, just like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and many more had done previously, only for each to ultimately look elsewhere for a defender.
The expectation at Villarreal was that Torres would still move to a top Champions League club for the maximum price. But no firm offers materialised other than the one from Villa (who can offer no better this season than a two-leg play-off in late August to decide who qualifies for the third-tier Europa Conference League), where he is due to have a medical this week.
Emery, with the support of Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris and recently-arrived president of football operations, Monchi, was even able to drive the price down to an initial €32.5million with a further €5m of performance-related add-ons included.
So, is this the coup it appears at first glance?
And how have Villa, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, managed to lure away one of the leading lights of the fifth-best club in La Liga?
The answer to the second question is easier: Emery.
Villa’s head coach knows exactly how good Torres is and was able to look beyond the perceived weaknesses — concerning his physicality and lack of aggression — which appear to have put other clubs off.
Emery also knows how receptive Torres is to his coaching methods. That should help the player settle into his new surroundings in England and get up to speed with the demands of the Villa staff and the Premier League quickly.
After his impressive debut season in charge, Emery is the person with the most power at the club other than co-owners Sawiris and Wes Edens, and he was granted spending assurances when appointed last November. So if the initial outlay on a fourth centre-back looks steep, it is because Torres was a target — albeit an ambitious one — right from the start.
Losing his place in the Spain squad has not provoked any doubts, either. Torres was an unused substitute for the first two games at the World Cup last year before starting the group-stage finale, which Spain lost 2-1 to Japan. Since then, with Luis Enrique stepping down after the tournament and Luis de la Fuente taking over as coach, he has not made a squad.
Yet Torres could look at Tyrone Mings, his soon-to-be team-mate, as cause for optimism. Mings had slipped out of the England setup by the time Emery succeeded Steven Gerrard just before the World Cup break began. The new head coach duly simplified his role so that, instead of “doing other people’s jobs”, as Mings put it, he stayed in a specified area of the pitch on the left side of defence and stuck purely to his defensive duties. He returned to form and Gareth Southgate’s national squad.
Torres’ arrival will certainly strengthen the defensive unit at Villa and create stronger competition for places.
Mings, 30, and Ezri Konsa, 25, performed admirably in the second half of last season, demonstrating they are reliable performers but also tactically intelligent enough to take on new instruction. They kept newcomer Diego Carlos, who returned in late March after a lengthy period recovering from an early-season Achilles injury, out of the team over the run-in. As a result, the jury is still out on the 30-year-old Brazilian.
Calum Chambers, 28, still offers cover but may now look for more regular game time elsewhere, while 19-year-old defender Seb Revan is close to securing a loan move to a League Two club.
The reality is, for the second successive summer, Villa have signed an expensive, Europa League-winning centre-half from a club in Spain who will arrive expecting to start matches. Torres’ first task, though, will be to show he is better than those centre-backs already at the club.
Pre-season will give Emery and his coaching team a better idea of the strongest pairing from four players competing for two places in the team. The much-discussed option of moving Konsa across to right-back, fulfilling a role similar to that undertaken by Juan Foyth at Villarreal under Emery, may be explored.
Most likely, though, is a regular mixing up of the centre-back pairings as Villa’s fixture list expands with participation in (they hope) the Conference League group stage and potentially a deeper run in domestic cup football after early exits from both last time.
What will be more important for Villa will be finding the right balance.
Can Mings and Torres play together as two left-footers? Perhaps the modern attacking formations, where inverted wide players regularly switch sides, removes the traditional logic of matching up players in such a way? Realistically, defenders, who typically are less agile than forwards, always prefer to position their bodies with the weight on their stronger foot. If Emery does move Mings or Torres away from their favoured left side it may be disruptive, or at least require time to adjust.
What is clear about Torres is the emphasis Emery places on playing out from the back.
Last season, Torres averaged 3.4 progressive carries per game — the most of any centre-back in La Liga. And as the map below shows, he is comfortable moving the ball forward large distances — his average carry distance of 6.7 metres last season was bettered only by Villarreal team-mate Raul Albiol among centre-backs in Spain’s top division.
The way he breaks the lines in the opposition set-up is also one of his greatest strengths. Last season, Torres was behind only Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso (all of Barcelona) and Yeray Alvarez (Athletic Bilbao) when it came to progressive passing.
On the defensive side of things, no La Liga centre-back made fewer than his 0.38 interceptions per game, a stat which shows he doesn’t tend to step out very often, while his aerial duel win rate of 55.1 per cent was among the worst in his position in the division.
However, he does win the ball back for his team a lot (5.7 per game — which placed him among the top 20 of the 66 La Liga centre-backs to play 900-plus minutes last season) and makes plenty of blocks and clearances. He also has a good true-tackle win rate — a player’s win rate among all tackles attempted, fouls committed and challenges lost — of 65.2 per cent, which also places him in the top 20 among his positional peers.
So while not a front-foot defender, Torres is often in the right place at the right time to tidy up those threatening moments.
Leaving home permanently for the first time will bring challenges for Torres, but having a Spanish-speaking coaching team he is familiar with will surely help the adjustment process. Villa’s player-care department, fronted by Phil Roscoe, also tries to help new arrivals settle in, first through an induction to the club and with regular support thereafter.
Carlos and Alex Moreno needed time to adapt to new surroundings last season having left Spain without speaking much English, and it will be the same for recently married Torres. What may help is that he is the 10th Spanish player Villa have signed. The hope is he becomes more of a Carlos Cuellar than a Jose Angel Crespo.
Emery appears to have no doubts he will shine.
If all goes to plan, by the end of this week he will have his man.
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He looks like the total opposite of Cuellar, the only Spaniard ever with a first touch worse than mine.
You're right, Gregggg is a plum.
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I read this elsewhere with regards to the Pau Torres transfer - If I were Gregg I would ask to report on another football club - he just does not like us.
There's a real whopper from Greg Evans in The Athletic, I can't reproduce the article here because it's behind a subscription/ paywall, but to give you a flavour he writes, " The hope is he becomes more of a Carlos Cuellar than a Jose Angel Crespo."
What a truly shit line.
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I read this elsewhere with regards to the Pau Torres transfer - If I were Gregg I would ask to report on another football club - he just does not like us.
There's a real whopper from Greg Evans in The Athletic, I can't reproduce the article here because it's behind a subscription/ paywall, but to give you a flavour he writes, " The hope is he becomes more of a Carlos Cuellar than a Jose Angel Crespo."
What a truly shit line.
I'm guessing that as people seem to think we have a bargain at £25m, compared to the half million that we spent on Crespo suggests he's probably not going to be much like the latter.
Next up "let's hope Villa's new £50m attacker doesn't turn out to be like Jordan Bowery"
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It's a throwaway line. I imagine he would have preferred better examples, but wanted to get something in.
I'm excited to see Torres play but just don't see how we will cope without Mings' aggression and aerial ability. Mings got through so much work in our good spell it was unbelievable. If that is Torres main weakness then I do fear for us defensively if he's a direct replacement.
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In this age of inflated transfer fees it's a bit surprising he's still our only £30m+ transfer.
When you consider Wolves have had three, West Ham have had six and Chelsea have had thirty three.
I am surprised Chelsea have only had 33 signings over 30M!
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The expectation at Villarreal was that Torres would still move to a top Champions League club for the maximum price. But no firm offers materialised other than the one from Villa (who can offer no better this season than a two-leg play-off in late August to decide who qualifies for the third-tier Europa Conference League), where he is due to have a medical this week.
That was the line that stood out to me this morning when I read it.
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Bitter bastard
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In this age of inflated transfer fees it's a bit surprising he's still our only £30m+ transfer.
When you consider Wolves have had three, West Ham have had six and Chelsea have had thirty three.
I am surprised Chelsea have only had 33 signings over 30M!
I'd have guessed 28 so I'm happy with 33. Great, traditional club. Hope things go well for them in the future.
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The expectation at Villarreal was that Torres would still move to a top Champions League club for the maximum price. But no firm offers materialised other than the one from Villa (who can offer no better this season than a two-leg play-off in late August to decide who qualifies for the third-tier Europa Conference League), where he is due to have a medical this week.
That was the line that stood out to me this morning when I read it.
And complete BS, if that had been the expectation then they wouldn’t be accepting an inferior offer in early July they’d have held on till mid August at least
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I listened to a Podcast with Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans and he was such a boring twat. All he kept banging on about was Villa and FFP (seemingly it does not effect other teams) and how Villa cannot just throw money around blah blah.
I only just found out he is an alleged Albion fan...all makes sense now. Would any other team have as their press man a supporter of another local club?
His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
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He's not our press man is he, just some berk from The Athletic who used to work for an ad-riddled clickbait site that used to be a local newspaper.
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I listened to a Podcast with Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans and he was such a boring twat. All he kept banging on about was Villa and FFP (seemingly it does not effect other teams) and how Villa cannot just throw money around blah blah.
I only just found out he is an alleged Albion fan...all makes sense now. Would any other team have as their press man a supporter of another local club?
His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
There’s an obsession there, they know everything about us. I know it’s an old line but it’s true. For my transfer news I rely on a blue nose at work who’s constantly telling me about who we’ve shown an interest in. He even has an in depth knowledge of the conference league now we’re in it. It’s hilarious but I can understand it. If they could they’d all jump ship over to Aston.
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I listened to a Podcast with Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans and he was such a boring twat. All he kept banging on about was Villa and FFP (seemingly it does not effect other teams) and how Villa cannot just throw money around blah blah.
I only just found out he is an alleged Albion fan...all makes sense now. Would any other team have as their press man a supporter of another local club?
His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
He showed his colors during his “coverage” of the game at Wolves last season. We know what you are, sunbeam.
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I listened to a Podcast with Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans and he was such a boring twat. All he kept banging on about was Villa and FFP (seemingly it does not effect other teams) and how Villa cannot just throw money around blah blah.
Who's Gregg Evans?
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I listened to a Podcast with Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans and he was such a boring twat. All he kept banging on about was Villa and FFP (seemingly it does not effect other teams) and how Villa cannot just throw money around blah blah.
Who's Gregg Evans?
I’ve heard of him but not the other chap….
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I listened to a Podcast with Dan Bardell and Gregg Evans and he was such a boring twat. All he kept banging on about was Villa and FFP (seemingly it does not effect other teams) and how Villa cannot just throw money around blah blah.
Who's Gregg Evans?
I think you'll find his name is spelt Greggggggggg.
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Ggreg to his friends and colleagues.
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His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
Who is Peck? Faceman?
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His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
Who is Peck? Faceman?
Gregory Peck I mean Evans Good Evans what the Heck
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His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
Who is Peck? Faceman?
Aint goin on no plane fool.
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His one relevant point was that last seasons revenue generated by the likes of a poor Spurs side (which included football, concerts, NFL, fights etc) was above £400 million where as ours was just over £100 million so i imagine a good reason why we needed someone like Peck on board.
Who is Peck? Faceman?
Aint goin on no plane fool.
I love it when a plan comes together
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How long is this chump on holiday for?
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Hi agent, a mr D. Unsworth, thinks he should be back soon
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He's just got hitched! Give him time to get his leg over in a Hawaiian jacuzzi.
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He's just got hitched! Give him time to get his leg over in a Hawaiian jacuzzi.
Pineapple in a jacuzzi is just wrong.
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain for that exact reason. PL defending does require aggression and strength. Mings hasn't a hope of being able to play RCB either so it's a competitor for his spot at LCB realistically, there is a huge difference in playing RCB or LCB, witness even John Terry's pathetic efforts at RCB in the 2010 WC!
Obviously Emery knows Torres very well but I'm surprised at this signing. Progressive passing was meant to be where Diego Carlos was very strong and physically he seemed a better fit for PL football. Thought Mings improved out of all recognition with the ball at his left foot last season (his right is for standing on only). It's a strange one as our first two signings this summer are direct challengers for our two best players last season (Luiz and Mings).
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Don't buy this shifting sides for centre backs being a big problem. Just needs patience. I moved from left to right for a season (to accomodate a real one footed shit kicker). Throws you a bit for the first couple of games, and you do drift inside and need to manually get your bearings at the start, but it's natural in no time. I get different standard and fine margins are more important at higher levels, but you should be able to acclimatise to your level. Torres should probably move over Mings if he's better on the ball though.
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain.
Obviously Emery knows Torres very well.
I suppose we needed a bit of a negative slant regarding this signing but i’d like to know who were the commentators you mention who had this view. All that matters is that Emery knows him well and much better than these commentators. That’s good enough for me.
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain for that exact reason. PL defending does require aggression and strength. Mings hasn't a hope of being able to play RCB either so it's a competitor for his spot at LCB realistically, there is a huge difference in playing RCB or LCB, witness even John Terry's pathetic efforts at RCB in the 2010 WC!
Obviously Emery knows Torres very well but I'm surprised at this signing. Progressive passing was meant to be where Diego Carlos was very strong and physically he seemed a better fit for PL football. Thought Mings improved out of all recognition with the ball at his left foot last season (his right is for standing on only). It's a strange one as our first two signings this summer are direct challengers for our two best players last season (Luiz and Mings).
But John Terry was right footed. He worked hard on improving his left foot so he had a better chance of getting in the team when Desailly / LeBeouf were ahead of him. It worked - he played most of his career at LCB.
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain for that exact reason. PL defending does require aggression and strength. Mings hasn't a hope of being able to play RCB either so it's a competitor for his spot at LCB realistically, there is a huge difference in playing RCB or LCB, witness even John Terry's pathetic efforts at RCB in the 2010 WC!
Terry was right-footed.
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He was right footed but he played on the left of a back 2.
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain for that exact reason. PL defending does require aggression and strength. Mings hasn't a hope of being able to play RCB either so it's a competitor for his spot at LCB realistically, there is a huge difference in playing RCB or LCB, witness even John Terry's pathetic efforts at RCB in the 2010 WC!
Terry was right-footed.
Think he still is. ;-)
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Believe his medical is tomorrow - so club announcement Friday most likely imo
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Believe his medical is tomorrow - so club announcement Friday most likely imo
Who ? John Terry ? ;)
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Believe his medical is tomorrow - so club announcement Friday most likely imo
Who ? John Terry ? ;)
ITSOTP doesn't really count with him does it? More like ITFKOTP.
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Believe his medical is tomorrow - so club announcement Friday most likely imo
Who ? John Terry ? ;)
ITSOTP doesn't really count with him does it? More like ITFKOTP.
ITTMWOTKT
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I don't think Southgate was a massively physical player? Good on the deck, good timing, good organisation and quick enough when needed but not big by normal CB standards. He was the best i've seen at the Villa other than McGrath. The Italian world cup winning captain Cannavaro also springs to mind, he was masterful in that WC but again not huge by any stretch.
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I don't think Southgate was a massively physical player? Good on the deck, good timing, good organisation and quick enough when needed but not big by normal CB standards. He was the best i've seen at the Villa other than McGrath. The Italian world cup winning captain Cannavaro also springs to mind, he was masterful in that WC but again not huge by any stretch.
He was 5'9".
I think that Argentinian at Utd is about the same height too.
Might even be 5'8"
Sometimes defending is about brute force, but other times it can be finessed with intelligence.
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Cannavaro could also leap and lean better than anyone, the two great height-negating skills for a defender.
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Torres is 6'3" so his height isn't a problem. One of the luxuries of building a competitive squad is that we don't have to rush anyone into the side. We could easily see Mings being the first choice at the start of the season and gradually bring Torres in as he adjusts to the differences in English football.
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Torres is 6'3" so his height isn't a problem. One of the luxuries of building a competitive squad is that we don't have to rush anyone into the side. We could easily see Mings being the first choice at the start of the season and gradually bring Torres in as he adjusts to the differences in English football.
And different opponents have different strengths, you wouldn’t play someone a bit lightweight against Wimbledon 88 and you wouldn’t play someone who’s not too nimble and surefooted against Barcelona 2011.
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Absolutely. Newcastle away is an interesting fixture as they've got a good high press, especially at home. Emery recognised that and we bypassed it by having Martinez play the ball over to Ramsey and McGinn. Newcastle expected us to play it out from the back and didn't really ever get to grips with what we were doing.
So as a first fixture that will be interesting to see whether we look to do the same or whether we look to play it out from the back but with defenders more comfortable dealing with an effective high press.
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Torres is 6'3" so his height isn't a problem. One of the luxuries of building a competitive squad is that we don't have to rush anyone into the side. We could easily see Mings being the first choice at the start of the season and gradually bring Torres in as he adjusts to the differences in English football.
No matter how good Torres (by reputation) is - the shirts are Mings and Konsa's to lose as their form in the final 3rd of the season was just incredible. Pau will have to climatise to the rigors of the premiership as it is way more demanding that what he is used to with physicality and time on the ball i would imagine
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He was right footed but he played on the left of a back 2.
I know. That was my point.
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Torres is 6'3" so his height isn't a problem. One of the luxuries of building a competitive squad is that we don't have to rush anyone into the side. We could easily see Mings being the first choice at the start of the season and gradually bring Torres in as he adjusts to the differences in English football.
No matter how good Torres (by reputation) is - the shirts are Mings and Konsa's to lose as their form in the final 3rd of the season was just incredible. Pau will have to climatise to the rigors of the premiership as it is way more demanding that what he is used to with physicality and time on the ball i would imagine
It's a new season. Pre-season matches and training will determine who plays against Newcastle. Emery will have a plan and with Torres he may feel more comfortable to play out from the back again.
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Apparently he was on honeymoon in "Africa", so time to start tracking those private planes to Birmingham from the entire continent of Africa!
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Apparently he was on honeymoon in "Africa", so time to start tracking those private planes to Birmingham from the entire continent of Africa!
Unless you believe the bloke on Twitter who reckons he's already been, failed his medical and left again at lunchtime.
Otherwise, yes, I reckon tomorrow evening or Friday morning.
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Blues fan?
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Apparently he was on honeymoon in "Africa", so time to start tracking those private planes to Birmingham from the entire continent of Africa!
Weren't McGinn and a few other players on their hols with Marvelous in Zimaabwe? Pau might have popped by to visit them seeing he was in the area.
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Apparently he was on honeymoon in "Africa", so time to start tracking those private planes to Birmingham from the entire continent of Africa!
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But he hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
He's coming in, 12:30 flight
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Apparently he was on honeymoon in "Africa", so time to start tracking those private planes to Birmingham from the entire continent of Africa!
I hear the drums echoing tonight
But he hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
He's coming in, 12:30 flight
Gonna take alot to get him here in Claret and Blue !!
but not more than Emrey could ever do
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I don't see Mings dropping out the side, I think he'll look to replace Digne (as he lacks the mobility of Moreno) and it'll be a left wing back with a back 3 when we're attacking. Mings central, Torres left and Konsa/Carlos right. I think he'll want Torres' passing down the left with Moreno/Tielemans/Ramsey going down that side.
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Blues fan?
No, Toto.
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Reported on News now that the Villareal president is quoted as saying the deal is far from completed yet ????
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Reported on News now that the Villareal president is quoted as saying the deal is far from completed yet ????
The quote I saw just sounds like he was asked about it and said he couldn't confirm anything until everything was signed.
"I can't confirm anything until it's signed. We give the news when it's confirmed. There are negotiations but nothing is closed."
So, as we were, really.
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Not back from his holiday until Sunday, they reckon Tues or Weds official.
This is starting to make me nervous.
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Not back from his holiday until Sunday, they reckon Tues or Weds official.
This is starting to make me nervous.
It’s all getting a bit David Unsworth.
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I prefer it when players are signed before anyone knows a thing about it.
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Appears we’ve said come in when players back (Monday)
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Not back from his holiday until Sunday, they reckon Tues or Weds official.
This is starting to make me nervous.
It’s all getting a bit David Unsworth.
That’s the bit that worries me. But this is Unai, he’s different!
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Fabrizio reckons it’s done, we’ll just have to wait and see then I guess.
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Lad's just been away. If we'd been told nothing about it and he just pitched up on Monday, we'd all be delighted. Chill.
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Not back from his holiday until Sunday, they reckon Tues or Weds official.
This is starting to make me nervous.
It’s all getting a bit David Unsworth.
That’s the bit that worries me. But this is Unai, he’s different!
Indeed. He loves Unai so much he invited him on his honeymoon.
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Torres hasn't had a medical yet.........let's hope he hasn't over exerted himself on honeymoon!
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He's just got married! Give him a rest, he'll need to get his heartbeat back down so he can pass the physician's examination.
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I don't think Southgate was a massively physical player? Good on the deck, good timing, good organisation and quick enough when needed but not big by normal CB standards.
No he wasn’t, and so struggled against powerful players, I always remembered JF Hasslebaink throwing him around like a rag doll whenever he came up against him.
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Hi dear, the good news is I've just signed a lucrative contract, the bad news is we have to move out of that sun drenched villa and live somewhere more rainy.
Where? Bilbao?
Err further north and more rain.
Hmmmmm
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Hi dear, the good news is I've just signed a lucrative contract, the bad news is we have to move out of that sun drenched villa and live somewhere more rainy.
Where? Bilbao?
Err further north and more rain.
Hmmmmm
…but they’re doubling my wages.
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He's just got married! Give him a rest, he'll need to get his heartbeat back down so he can pass the physician's examination.
"Achilles good, hamstring good, ACL good, todger like a bloody stump."
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I don't think Southgate was a massively physical player? Good on the deck, good timing, good organisation and quick enough when needed but not big by normal CB standards.
No he wasn’t, and so struggled against powerful players, I always remembered JF Hasslebaink throwing him around like a rag doll whenever he came up against him.
He also played many times for England, won the league cup with us and finished 4th and 5th in his first 2 seasons, being one of our best players. There are very few players that are perfect in every way, and it's a team game. There's no guarantees Torres will be great but i'll wait and see what he does on the pitch before making assumptions, as he comes with an excellent reputation.
Anyway, i'm not concerned about the deal. It seems pretty simple really that he's on honeymoon and that's about all.
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He's just got married! Give him a rest, he'll need to get his heartbeat back down so he can pass the physician's examination.
Best keep Alisha away from BMH on Monday just in case.
She's not all that.
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No worries of that. She will be over here in NZ.
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'Aston Villa are confident of completing the signing of Pau Torres when the transfer window opens on 1st January. Torres who has been holidaying in Kenya on safari since early July is expected to report to training after Villa's FA Cup 3rd round tie away at Manchester United on 6th January.'
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After a 6-month honeymoon he would be in no state to play for us.
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'Aston Villa are confident of completing the signing of Pau Torres when the transfer window opens on 1st January. Torres who has been holidaying in Kenya on safari since early July is expected to report to training after Villa's FA Cup 3rd round tie away at Manchester United on 6th January.'
Jesus, they already know we're away to Manc Utd in the FA Cup 3rd round?
Think that pretty much confirms the suspicions many of us have had ...
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Announce Pau
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Welease Bwian
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I’ve just had a notification he must’ve signed. Oh no it’s to say they’ve conned 30,000 people into renewing again. Where are the signings?!
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The procurement team are all simultaneously on holiday / honeymoon /
playing golf / can’t open their gates.
Booooooo
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Announce Torres ffs!!!
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Announce Torres ffs!!!
Why? What difference does it make?
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Announce Torres ffs!!!
Why? What difference does it make?
Has he actually put pen to paper yet? I'm excited by this one and I don't want a last minute gazumping.
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Announce Torres ffs!!!
Why? What difference does it make?
There's always the 'Unsworth jeopardy'
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Announce Torres ffs!!!
Why? What difference does it make?
There's always the 'Unsworth jeopardy'
He'd already been announced and then got unannounced!
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Well yes the difference it makes is whether he’s signed or not. I’m quite relaxed about it, but I understand why people are nervous until it’s official.
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Announce Torres ffs!!!
Why? What difference does it make?
There's always the 'Unsworth jeopardy'
He'd already been announced and then got unannounced!
That's what i thought. So even if he signs, he could still piss off to somewhere else a week or so later :-)
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ITSOTP didn't used mean anything...
(https://i.ibb.co/K5Xr11m/David-Unsworth.webp) (https://ibb.co/K5Xr11m)
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Well yes the difference it makes is whether he’s signed or not. I’m quite relaxed about it, but I understand why people are nervous until it’s official.
Im quite relaxed - as I am not convinced that we really need a center-half. So if we went into next season without a new one, I wouldn't be thinking - "what we playing at here"
Not getting more forward options, and I will be think "what are we playing at here!"
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We really do need a centre half, forward options, a back up right back and GK. But it’s early days.
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Well yes the difference it makes is whether he’s signed or not. I’m quite relaxed about it, but I understand why people are nervous until it’s official.
Im quite relaxed - as I am not convinced that we really need a center-half. So if we went into next season without a new one, I wouldn't be thinking - "what we playing at here"
Not getting more forward options, and I will be think "what are we playing at here!"
Good point.
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I thought Mings and Konsa did really well since Emery came in and seemed to be getting better. Good to have Diego though and Torres hopefully gives us great quality in depth at CB position.
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If we don’t get what we need there’s always the next window. Remember January.
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It does amuse me that some people think that because a manager who had only been here under two months didn't get all the players he would have liked in a January window, think it's going to be like that again.
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I thought Mings and Konsa did really well since Emery came in and seemed to be getting better. Good to have Diego though and Torres hopefully gives us great quality in depth at CB position.
Agreed Tim.
I like the idea of Torres, but given how well they played last season I wouldn't have been too disappointed going in with the same defensive line up IF it meant we made a real statement elsewhere. I do worry that there may be a concern over Carlos' fitness.
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We've had 4 CBs, we're just upgrading them. It's what clubs do when they can.
If. Mings got injured we'd be concerned as to how we'd cover it.
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Agreed, we need to think about being stronger more generally. Across all the games we hope to play next season the CB options we have aren’t enough, simple as that, especially if we want to progress.
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Spine of the team has to have options, the peripheral wide positions you can mix and match more. Need two reliable keepers (not concrete foot Olsen),,four centre halves, four centre midfielders and two strikers you trust
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Right, it's Tuesday.... is he here yet?
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I hope we get this done this week.
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It would be good to get this done, do the general OS stuff, shirt stretching etc.
Partly because I have a nagging feeling - a bit like the Alemany situation - and just want it done and dusted, but partly because it feels a bit slow and flat at the moment and we could do with a spark.
Preseason friendlies starting in a few days too.
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On his way according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter
https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1678694705373097984?s=61&t=0hDYp8sAC4KCDeo1iQp4OQ
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On his way according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter
https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1678694705373097984?s=61&t=0hDYp8sAC4KCDeo1iQp4OQ
His wife looks happier than he does
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Was just going to post the same thing. Maybe he doesn't like flying?
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looks like someone just kicked his puppy
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On his way according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter
https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1678694705373097984?s=61&t=0hDYp8sAC4KCDeo1iQp4OQ
Pretty wife
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He looks delighted!
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The benchmark for such displays of joy:
(https://i.ibb.co/V39dyG7/anelka.jpg) (https://ibb.co/V39dyG7)
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I don't know about you lot but I tend to have a face like thunder when going through security at an airport. BHX I am looking at you for a start. Was he flying from BCN? If so, no wonder he looks miserable, they are specialists in dicking around with you in security.
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I don't know about you lot but I tend to have a face like thunder when going through security at an airport. BHX I am looking at you for a start. Was he flying from BCN? If so, no wonder he looks miserable, they are specialists in dicking around with you in security.
yep it is not a great experience is it ?
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I'm glad he's on his way here.
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I don't know about you lot but I tend to have a face like thunder when going through security at an airport. BHX I am looking at you for a start. Was he flying from BCN? If so, no wonder he looks miserable, they are specialists in dicking around with you in security.
I know, and I'm the same. I wasn't having a go at the lad.
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He’s on flight radar… on a Cessna 560XLS due in at 12:15-12:30ish from Valencia.
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A Cessna? What's wrong with Row 11 on a Ryanair 737-800? Do they think we're made of money? Tsk!
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Was just going to post the same thing. Maybe he doesn't like flying?
Last night of holiday last night, hungover.
The number of times I've flown back from holiday, reeking of booze and shaking like a shitting puppy, hungover to fuck.
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His heart and spirits will soar when he gets off the plane and experiences the English summer.
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He’s on flight radar… on a Cessna 560XLS due in at 12:15-12:30ish from Valencia.
Had to google it and it instantly reminded me of Randy Lerner's jet, Ole Gunner, The Hamptons and phoning a restaurant for a 'sleuth' to do his thing.
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Results of medicals are pretty much instantaneous, right? Assuming he does it today we could have shirt stretching by late afternoon?
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He’s on flight radar… on a Cessna 560XLS due in at 12:15-12:30ish from Valencia.
Had to google it and it instantly reminded me of Randy Lerner's jet, Ole Gunner, The Hamptons and phoning a restaurant for a 'sleuth' to do his thing.
It wasn't Solskjaer, it was some mythical summit meeting between Lerner, Lambert and Faulkner which led to a classic bit of sexism on here about how their wives could accompany them for a "nice little shopping trip" to New York.
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Hope he doesn’t suffer from DVT
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He’s on flight radar… on a Cessna 560XLS due in at 12:15-12:30ish from Valencia.
Had to google it and it instantly reminded me of Randy Lerner's jet, Ole Gunner, The Hamptons and phoning a restaurant for a 'sleuth' to do his thing.
It wasn't Solskjaer, it was some mythical summit meeting between Lerner, Lambert and Faulkner which led to a classic bit of sexism on here about how their wives could accompany them for a "nice little shopping trip" to New York.
I was thinking of an amalgamation of things and not necessarily of the exact. The Solesjaer one was more to do with people tracking the movements of Lerner's jet. The excitement when someone in the know at BHX mentioned it was on it's way to somewhere in Sweden.
Anyway, Pau doesn't look like he spent much time in the sun.
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Plane has not diverted to Paris so I think we're safe from PSG on this one.
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Hope he doesn’t suffer from DVT
Dirty Villa Tastards?
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He’s on flight radar… on a Cessna 560XLS due in at 12:15-12:30ish from Valencia.
Just looked that up to make sure it's a bit bigger than the plane that poor bloke on his way to Cardiff travelled in. It is.
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Could he be a direct replacement for Mings? Cash in now at the top of the market for an England International?
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Could he be a direct replacement for Mings? Cash in now at the top of the market for an England International?
Not a chance. That would be one step forward, two back.
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Plane has not diverted to Paris so I think we're safe from PSG on this one.
Currently over Watford, make of that what you will
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He’s on flight radar… on a Cessna 560XLS due in at 12:15-12:30ish from Valencia.
Just looked that up to make sure it's a bit bigger than the plane that poor bloke on his way to Cardiff travelled in. It is.
There is a BBC Podcast on this incident quite harrowing to hear
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Plane has not diverted to Paris so I think we're safe from PSG on this one.
Currently over Watford, make of that what you will
Luton going to hold him hostage until we release Nakamba
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Has he got a parachute. Heading for a pass over Bodymoor Heath.
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Has he got a parachute. Heading for a pass over Bodymoor Heath.
Players lined up to give him a wave.
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Ha, flew over Bodymoor, now in line to fly over Villa Park, went the long way around to avoid Small Heath
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missed Villa Park, nearer to Pipe Hayes, coming in to land now
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He has landed, his plane is currently at the Executive Jet Centre at Birmingham Airport
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Retard! Retard!
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Generally speaking who covers the cost of something like this? I assume it's the club that's buying a player.
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He’s a bit thin isn’t he, looks like he could snap from a decent challenge
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He’s a bit thin isn’t he, looks like he could snap from a decent challenge
I did think the same, though I think it's all relative as my waistline expands, and if you don't mind mate I'd say you had a 'low centre of gravity'
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Results of medicals are pretty much instantaneous, right? Assuming he does it today we could have shirt stretching by late afternoon?
Yep, he should be stretching the shit out that shirt later today
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I'm glad this is getting sorted today but really it's been keeping us all going the last few weeks. I'm going to need some serious links to obsess over once that shirt gets stretched.
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He’s a bit thin isn’t he, looks like he could snap from a decent challenge
Carlos is built like an outside toilet and he lasted five minutes
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On his way according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter
https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1678694705373097984?s=61&t=0hDYp8sAC4KCDeo1iQp4OQ
Pretty wife
To be honest you don't see many swamp donkeys with pro footballers
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As an aside
I know that UA went over to speak to him directly but he has signed for Villa without seeing the stadium , the training facilities, the local area (I mean the Roman road / Four Oaks area)
Does he know we are not by the sea :)
Seriously - it is a huge move for a 5 year contract without coming to see it first?
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Who is UA?
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Maybe he has seen it all. Or at least the area. There were rumours of him moving to the Prem in January, he nearly signed for Spurs a few seasons back. There's other Spanish players in the Prem he may have spoken to. I'm sure he's done some kind of research.
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As an aside
I know that UA went over to speak to him directly but he has signed for Villa without seeing the stadium , the training facilities, the local area (I mean the Roman road / Four Oaks area)
Does he know we are not by the sea :)
Seriously - it is a huge move for a 5 year contract without coming to see it first?
The lifestyle in Spain is great, but he's on like 40k/week.. he's going to triple his wages.
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Who is UA?
United Airlines.
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Who is UA?
Under Armour
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Uncle Albert?
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
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As an aside
I know that UA went over to speak to him directly but he has signed for Villa without seeing the stadium , the training facilities, the local area (I mean the Roman road / Four Oaks area)
Does he know we are not by the sea :)
Seriously - it is a huge move for a 5 year contract without coming to see it first?
The lifestyle in Spain is great, but he's on like 40k/week.. he's going to triple his wages.
Also, I think us mere mortals underestimate the lifestyle of a professional footballer, and their considerations when moving. Yes, they don't want it to be shit, but they're not "moving house" like the rest of us. It could only be for a year or two, and they almost certainly won't be retiring in that location.
I'd move almost anywhere for a couple of years if it trebled my wages.
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Who is UA?
Oops - typo
UE - as i am sure you guessed
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As an aside
I know that UA went over to speak to him directly but he has signed for Villa without seeing the stadium , the training facilities, the local area (I mean the Roman road / Four Oaks area)
Does he know we are not by the sea :)
Seriously - it is a huge move for a 5 year contract without coming to see it first?
The lifestyle in Spain is great, but he's on like 40k/week.. he's going to triple his wages.
No wonder his missus was smiling
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As an aside
I know that UA went over to speak to him directly but he has signed for Villa without seeing the stadium , the training facilities, the local area (I mean the Roman road / Four Oaks area)
Does he know we are not by the sea :)
Seriously - it is a huge move for a 5 year contract without coming to see it first?
The lifestyle in Spain is great, but he's on like 40k/week.. he's going to triple his wages.
Also, I think us mere mortals underestimate the lifestyle of a professional footballer, and their considerations when moving. Yes, they don't want it to be shit, but they're not "moving house" like the rest of us. It could only be for a year or two, and they almost certainly won't be retiring in that location.
I'd move almost anywhere for a couple of years if it trebled my wages.
I imagine one of the first things you do if you're him is get on the phone to Alex Moreno who tells him how great it all is, he then forwards across all those TikTok videos of him, the Emis and the Brazilian lads having a lovely old time during the week and then making the decision of whether his enormous mansion is in the countryside in Sutton or in Warwickshire can probably wait a few weeks.
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Who is UA?
United Artists- Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin
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He’s a bit thin isn’t he, looks like he could snap from a decent challenge
I did think the same, though I think it's all relative as my waistline expands, and if you don't mind mate I'd say you had a 'low centre of gravity'
Ha ha yes just like Maradona
But there the similarity ends
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
He’ll probably self combust with excitement when he sees Star City for the first time
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
He’ll probably self combust with excitement when he sees Star City for the first time
I’m sure if he’d been told two weeks ago that we have more miles of canals than Venice that he’d have sacked his honeymoon off and stretched the shirt already
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I just got a text to say he and his Mrs are lunching at a place in town called Señor Huevo. Anyone know it?
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I just got a text to say he and his Mrs are lunching at a place in town called Señor Huevo. Anyone know it?
I think we need to hear what he’s ordered and size of tip to get the measure of the man Paddy. Come on full Eastie mode beckons…
(I’m presuming it’s not Señor Huevo’s Balti Pie Emporium in Sparkhill?)
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Paula likes to keep a low profile. She lives for cross-stitch and making gooseberry jam. Very right-wing, but lovely with it.
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Paula likes pissing on baby mice, and Pau takes drugs in the night.
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Paula likes to keep a low profile. She lives for cross-stitch and making gooseberry jam. Very right-wing, but lovely with it.
We could do with a right winger who can cross the ball.
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I just got a text to say he and his Mrs are lunching at a place in town called Señor Huevo. Anyone know it?
Eggcellant.
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I just got a text to say he and his Mrs are lunching at a place in town called Señor Huevo. Anyone know it?
Jesus it’s taken me a full hour to get that one. It’s been along day.
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I've had an ouef of these puns.
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Don’t go back into your shell.
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Who is UA?
I think it's code for Dan Bardell.
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What are business hours at a football club? Is it too late to expect shirt stretching today?
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Who is UA?
I think it's code for Dan Bardell.
Who?
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Who is UA?
I think it's code for Dan Bardell.
Who?
The very excitable chap on the interweb.
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Who is UA?
I think it's code for Dan Bardell.
Who?
Because Barey was off the pitch receiving treatment after a Fabregas tackle.
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I just got a text to say he and his Mrs are lunching at a place in town called Señor Huevo. Anyone know it?
Jesus it’s taken me a full hour to get that one. It’s been along day.
Ok I’m needing subtitles.
And wondering why I took the words of MR SE at (egg on) face value. [Relevant emoji, pic your own].
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Who is UA?
I think it's code for Dan Bardell.
Who?
The very excitable chap on the interweb.
Flin5tone?!
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
You may mock but I once saw Uncle Albert shopping in Next at The Fort. I thought millionaire footballers might shop somewhere a bit more exclusive that that.
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Who is UA?
Ursula Andress?
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Who is UA?
Ursula Andress?
No.
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain for that exact reason. PL defending does require aggression and strength. Mings hasn't a hope of being able to play RCB either so it's a competitor for his spot at LCB realistically, there is a huge difference in playing RCB or LCB, witness even John Terry's pathetic efforts at RCB in the 2010 WC!
Terry was right-footed.
He couldn't play RCB is the point. Mings won't be able to either.
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Who is UA?
Ursula Andress?
Dr. No.
FTFY
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
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Paula likes pissing on baby mice, and Pau takes drugs in the night.
#Park life!#
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Who is UA?
Ursula Andress?
Dr. No.
FTFY
Sigh! Why did you do that? The whole point of me posting 'No' was to reference the Bond film. Jesus! Can't you just enjoy the wordplay? Does every intertextual metatextual reference have to be explained and underlined? FFS!
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To sum up, “that was the joke!” :)
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To sum up, “that was the joke!” :)
That's what I meant. ;-)
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
Can you post one?
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
Can you post one?
It was Sean Connery in Dr No, not Roger Moore.
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
Can you post one?
https://twitter.com/dinge79/status/1678842209120944128?t=PQV1_4Ha-UVVe16myRNVuQ&s=19
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
Can you post one?
https://twitter.com/dinge79/status/1678842209120944128?t=PQV1_4Ha-UVVe16myRNVuQ&s=19
Hallelujah, thanks.
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Jesus, can't that bloke in pink walk in front of a new signing without slobbering over his phone? FFS!
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He looks a bit overweight and pink really doesn't suit him.
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A bit mean, really. Can’t we leave the poor guy alone?
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Jesus, can't that bloke in pink walk in front of a new signing without slobbering over his phone? FFS!
Dodgson, Dodgson, we've got Dodgson here!
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
Can you post one?
https://twitter.com/dinge79/status/1678842209120944128?t=PQV1_4Ha-UVVe16myRNVuQ&s=19
Is that the first spotting of Monchi there in that photo?
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I think it is
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Hopefully all done today with an announcement tomorrow.
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Straight into the squad for Saturday. Injured by Monday 😱
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
You may mock but I once saw Uncle Albert shopping in Next at The Fort. I thought millionaire footballers might shop somewhere a bit more exclusive that that.
You might think that, but I ran into Torres' (former?) teammate, Gérard Moreno, at the weekend as we are staying at the same campsite near Tarragona! Surely he should be in St. Lucia or Belize or somewhere like that!?
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Straight into the squad for Saturday. Injured by Monday 😱
Please don't joke about things like that , it would be so Villa
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Monday:
"Just soft tissue damage"
Wednesday:
"The amputation was a succes"
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Thought the commentary on the lack of aggression/physicality was interesting, as the key reason why CL clubs have looked elsewhere. To be honest I've never been all that impressed by Torres on the handful of times I've seen him for Villarreal or Spain for that exact reason. PL defending does require aggression and strength. Mings hasn't a hope of being able to play RCB either so it's a competitor for his spot at LCB realistically, there is a huge difference in playing RCB or LCB, witness even John Terry's pathetic efforts at RCB in the 2010 WC!
Terry was right-footed.
He couldn't play RCB is the point. Mings won't be able to either.
Given that your case study proves it doesn’t matter which is the stronger foot, why do you think Mings won’t be able to play there? And do you care to hazard a guess on Torres’ suitability as a right-sided centre-back?
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Pictures going round of him at Bodymoore in our training kit.
Can you post one?
https://twitter.com/dinge79/status/1678842209120944128?t=PQV1_4Ha-UVVe16myRNVuQ&s=19
Is that the first spotting of Monchi there in that photo?
Monchi, and Damian Vidagany in chinos, no idea who the guy right behind Torres is.
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
You may mock but I once saw Uncle Albert shopping in Next at The Fort. I thought millionaire footballers might shop somewhere a bit more exclusive that that.
You might think that, but I ran into Torres' (former?) teammate, Gérard Moreno, at the weekend as we are staying at the same campsite near Tarragona! Surely he should be in St. Lucia or Belize or somewhere like that!?
Did you not recommend Tramore to him?
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I hope Torres can run faster than he can sign a contract. Wake me up when he signs.
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Monday:
"Just soft tissue damage"
Wednesday:
"The amputation was a succes"
... and they are hopeful of saving the other leg.
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blokes had his leg amputated in hospital
doctor says i have some good news and bad news
the bad news is we've amputated the wrong leg
the good news is your bad legs getting better
boom boom
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The way I heard that one was:
Man comes 'round after surgery to remove his leg and the surgeon is there and says to him ' I've some good news and some bad news, the bad news is we amputated the wrong leg and then had to amputate the other. The good news is, the bloke in the next bed wants to buy your slippers'.
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On average he won more aerial duels per game than Mings last season.
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I bet he's been all over Google Maps, saw there was a Primark at the Fort and thought "Yes, I'm fucking in"
You may mock but I once saw Uncle Albert shopping in Next at The Fort. I thought millionaire footballers might shop somewhere a bit more exclusive that that.
You might think that, but I ran into Torres' (former?) teammate, Gérard Moreno, at the weekend as we are staying at the same campsite near Tarragona! Surely he should be in St. Lucia or Belize or somewhere like that!?
Did you not recommend Tramore to him?
Only for the races. Clonea for camping.
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blokes had his leg amputated in hospital
doctor says i have some good news and bad news
the bad news is we've amputated the wrong leg
the good news is your bad legs getting better
boom boom
And the bloke in the next bed has offered you a tenner for your trainers
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I suppose when we see all the promo photos, interviews, shirt stretching etc this is what is taking all the bloody time.
Frustrating though as they could of announced it long before now as they did with Tielimans who did not appear for ages after the announcement
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Maybe there really is another exciting big name European player being unveiled today and they're doing them both together.
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Probably awaiting the results of his medical before confirming his arrival
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I suppose when we see all the promo photos, interviews, shirt stretching etc this is what is taking all the bloody time.
Frustrating though as they could of announced it long before now as they did with Tielimans who did not appear for ages after the announcement
They announced that one after 1/7 as that was when he 'officially signed' and his contract started.
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Maybe there really is another exciting big name European player being unveiled today and they're doing them both together.
Ah, those halcyon O'Neill days of "how many chairs are there at the press conference?" to work out how many players we were announcing on that day.
It was always either zero or Marlon Harewood.
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Maybe there really is another exciting big name European player being unveiled today and they're doing them both together.
Ah, those halcyon O'Neill days of "how many chairs are there at the press conference?" to work out how many players we were announcing on that day.
It was always either zero or Marlon Harewood.
Beat me to it. The signing two players at once always gets a run out, without ever actually happening.
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When was the last time we had two in the same day? Last I can remember off the top of my head was Callaghan and Ormondroyd
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whats the rush for an announcement ?
We know its happening.
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When was the last time we had two in the same day? Last I can remember off the top of my head was Callaghan and Ormondroyd
Dendoncker and Bednarek?
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I reckon it's happening today anyway, the leaked photos yesterday show he was there and kitted up for photos, etc so it's just putting everything in place and making the announcement, I reckon 3-3:30 it'll be in the website.
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When was the last time we had two in the same day? Last I can remember off the top of my head was Callaghan and Ormondroyd
Tommy Johnson and Gary Charles. I think Dunne and Collins were same day but not 100%. Westwood, Bowery and Benteke. Coutinho and Carlos. There's probably others especialy on deadline days.
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Chrissy Price and Derek Mountfield were announced on the same day as well.
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I was thinking more in the old duel press conference way, but yeah obviously there's loads
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At their signing Callaghan started juggling the ball that had been stuck on the table as a prop. After a few seconds, which is difficult enough anyway and even more so wearing shoes and a suit, he chipped it over to Ormondroyd to carry on.....
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Nigel Callaghan, such a talented player, such a massive twat.
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Didn't he go on to put condom's on his head in Ibiza?
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Pretty sure he popped up on that Ibiza Uncovered show back in the day, which could be it. He was only 29 when he left us and didn't play professionally again.
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Pretty sure he popped up on that Ibiza Uncovered show back in the day, which could be it. He was only 29 when he left us and didn't play professionally again.
He hardly played very professionally when he was with us either.
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Players have took stick off fans forever, but there are few I can remember that stirred up vitriol from their own like Callaghan did
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Were Carew and Young at the same press conference? I know they signed within a day of each other but can't remember exactly how they got announced.
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Were Carew and Young at the same press conference? I know they signed within a day of each other but can't remember exactly how they got announced.
There's pictures of them stretching the shirt together
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Bodymoor Heath has run out of pens, that’s the delay
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Bodymoor Heath has run out of pens, that’s the delay
Why did Barry take the pens?
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yes, formal signing announcement this afternoon
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Was reading something there that mentioned Emery being the selling point for Torres coming here, and how he put pressure on their board and managed to get him for way under his release clause. Looking at between €35-40 million. It all sounds very positive, let's hope it works out now.
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It's official.
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ITSKTB
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Welcome Pau
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It's official.
Good news.welcome .
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Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Spanish international Pau Torres from Villarreal.
The 26-year-old defender, who has been capped on 23 occasions for his country, arrives at Villa for an undisclosed fee.
A native of Villarreal, Torres came through the ranks of his hometown club and went on to become a key player for the La Liga side.
Pau lifted the Europa League in 2021, under the guidance of Unai Emery, and helped Villarreal reach the semi-finals of the Champions League a year later.
The move is subject to international clearance and a successful visa application.
Welcome, Pau!
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F01yEeyXoAAnthC?format=jpg&name=small)
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Tall isn't he?
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Looks much happier than he did yesterday
Also, seeing the training top and the jersey in the same picture really shows off how nice the training top is.
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Tall isn't he?
Skinny too. First player we've signed who needed help stretching the shirt.
Welcome, Pau.
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Emery's trim is approaching pompadour territory.
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Great statement signing, really looking forward to this season for the first time in fucking ages.
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What a fabulous signing.
Him & Tielemans have been great value for money & both of the quality we need to take our squad forward.
Tall isn't he?
6'3".
Same height as Hause, Wesley & Keinan Davis...
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Emery must have really sold him on us if he's that upset about leaving them.
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
He clearly loved Villarreal , just imagine how much he'll love the real Villa.
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These new shirts must be heavy:
(https://i.ibb.co/F4cxVRR/F016-Gs-Xg-AESq-Z5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F4cxVRR)
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I was waiting until it was official but this is the one player I was hoping Unai would bring with him from Villareal. Stunning signing for Villa.
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Bloody hell. Respect to the lad. I'm sure he'll get a very warm welcome from the Villa fans and he'll soon feel right at home.
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Gotta make sure they get the sleeve sponsor in.
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Welcome to Aston Villa Pau Torres.
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Great signing, a bit of cover at right back and in goal and I reckon that's now as good a defensive half of the squad as anyone outside Man City. Now lets get the same quality and depth further forward sorted.
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Welcome Pau, best wishes
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Bloody hell. Respect to the lad. I'm sure he'll get a very warm welcome from the Villa fans and he'll soon feel right at home.
Can you imagine how he'll be if we lose a game once we show him the love? Hope he's brilliant, he will be brilliant, I can feel it.
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So, the fear of being gazumped is now over, let's move on to the fear of him getting broken against Walsall this weekend!
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So, the fear of being gazumped is now over, let's move on to the fear of him getting broken against Walsall this weekend!
The photo of Pau is very similar to when another signing was announced ......................
(https://i0.wp.com/villaunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/david-unsworth-aston-villa.jpg?fit=474%2C335&ssl=1)
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These new shirts must be heavy:
(https://i.ibb.co/F4cxVRR/F016-Gs-Xg-AESq-Z5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F4cxVRR)
Monchi looking like he’s walked straight off the set of the good the bad and the ugly
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We wanted quality (not squad fillers)....boy, are we getting just that.
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We wanted quality (not squad fillers)....boy, are we getting just that.
all Killers no Fillers
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We wanted quality (not squad fillers)....boy, are we getting just that.
all Killers no Fillers
All centre-backs, no wide attacks.
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Bloody hell. Respect to the lad. I'm sure he'll get a very warm welcome from the Villa fans and he'll soon feel right at home.
Can you imagine how he'll be if we lose a game once we show him the love? Hope he's brilliant, he will be brilliant, I can feel it.
On 2nd thoughts and having discussed it with a Spanish mate who tells me "Most Spanish players are like that, leave a club - cry...retire - cry. Big babies!"
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Very kind of him to speak slowly enough for me to understand (almost) every word. Mas despacio, por favor, the rest of Spain.
He seems worryingly gutted to be leaving.
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These new shirts must be heavy:
(https://i.ibb.co/F4cxVRR/F016-Gs-Xg-AESq-Z5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F4cxVRR)
Monchi looking like he’s walked straight off the set of the good the bad and the ugly
He does! 😂
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Welcome Pau, be good.
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Bloody hell. Respect to the lad. I'm sure he'll get a very warm welcome from the Villa fans and he'll soon feel right at home.
Can you imagine how he'll be if we lose a game once we show him the love? Hope he's brilliant, he will be brilliant, I can feel it.
On 2nd thoughts and having discussed it with a Spanish mate who tells me "Most Spanish players are like that, leave a club - cry...retire - cry. Big babies!"
I don't think you can underestimate Torres status at Villareal, a town of 150k, even Emery was telling the players before the Europa Final they had to win the cup for Pau Torres. Once he's had his first Balti he'll be fine.
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this reads like we're paying the release clause but over a longer period of time: "Torres had a release clause of €70m (£60.4m) but it's understood Villa have negotiated terms to suit them paying over a longer period of time, so their initial payment falls below that figure."
I thought we'd just agreed a deal that was well below the asking price (given 1 year left on contract)...
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I'd be amazed if we were paying anywhere near that figure.
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The figures mentioned from the reputable sources say around 33m euros with up to 5m euros add on.
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his farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Still waiting for Grealish's video.
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Confirmed he'll have Pau on the back of his shirt. We're good to go and sign Ferran then.
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I'd be amazed if we were paying anywhere near that figure.
so would I. just reads like that
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Every time I see a picture there's another person in it.
Must be like a wedding. "Just the happy couple first"
"Can we have the sporting director now please?"
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He joins an illustrious list of famous Number 14s....
Andy Townsend, Gary Parker, Alan Wright, Dion Dublin, Neil Tarrant, David Ginola, Marcus Allback, the Djemba twins, Nathan Delfouneso, Brett Holman, Tony Moon, Philippe Senderos, and of course Conor Hourihane.
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The 14th person to have the number 14 in the Premier League era.
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This has gone down rather well so it sounds like he's a good un. Welcome Pau.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning , will she be down the reflex broad street any time soon?
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His farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Welcome Pau, having left the Yellow Submarine please, please help us get back to where we once belonged.
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Welcome to the Real Villa Pau. Brilliant business by the club. Keep em coming Villa.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning , will she be down the reflex broad street any time soon?
Isn’t that Popworld now?
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Cracking signing, appears we’re going for quality over quantity, which is good by me.
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Did have some slight doubts, but delighted it's now official, welcome Pau.
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Sky Sports anchor verbally said £33m, then their graphic says £45m and puts him at the top of a list of our biggest signings.
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It's still not ridiculous for an experienced Spain international.
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It's still not ridiculous for an experienced Spain international.
I agree. I was just wondering about the discrepancy.
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His farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Welcome Pau, having left the Yellow Submarine please, please help us get back to where we once belonged.
John, Pau, George and Ringo
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I was waiting until it was official but this is the one player I was hoping Unai would bring with him from Villareal. Stunning signing for Villa.
Exactly this!
In fact the ONE Spanish player I hoped Unai would bring in.
Welcome Pau, to the best club in the World.
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Looks much happier than he did yesterday
I think that is because at BMH, they are not asking him to remove his belt, watch and shoes, and put all of his liquids into ONE SACHET PER PERSON then swabbing him for explosives.
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Sky Sports anchor verbally said £33m, then their graphic says £45m and puts him at the top of a list of our biggest signings.
That's Sky all over. Come the last day of the window, they'll have a graphic showing that over £1bn was spent, when it's more likely closer to £800m.
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Sky Sports anchor verbally said £33m, then their graphic says £45m and puts him at the top of a list of our biggest signings.
That's Sky all over. Come the last day of the window, they'll have a graphic showing that over £1bn was spent, when it's more likely closer to £800m.
The more they can bullshit it, the more they can shout about "THE LARGEST AMOUNT SPENT EVER EVER EVER!!!!" in their garish yellow headlines.
Pricks...
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning , will she be down the reflex broad street any time soon?
Isn’t that Popworld now?
oh no , hope Ive not confused her . should have said The Soloman Cutler
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
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A right back a winger / forward and a keeper with 2 hands
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning , will she be down the reflex broad street any time soon?
Isn’t that Popworld now?
oh no , hope Ive not confused her . should have said The Soloman Cutler
Reflex and Popworld are two separate places and the Solomon Cutler is the Lloyds bar across the road.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning ,
Just you wait till Paulo Dybala rocks up at Villa Park.
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A right back a winger / forward and a keeper with 2 hands
Can't we have one with four hands?
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His farewell video to villarreal
https://twitter.com/VillarrealCFen/status/1679129317798821898?s=20
Welcome Pau, having left the Yellow Submarine please, please help us get back to where we once belonged.
John, Pau, George and Ringo
Kons, Pau, Hause and Mingo
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning ,
Just you wait till Paulo Dybala rocks up at Villa Park.
Alright John Terry, calm it down 😉
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning ,
Just you wait till Paulo Dybala rocks up at Villa Park.
Alright John Terry, calm it down 😉
Is the wife Paula? It's hardly Pau and Paula, is it? Pau Pau?
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning ,
Just you wait till Paulo Dybala rocks up at Villa Park.
Alright John Terry, calm it down 😉
Is the wife Paula? It's hardly Pau and Paula, is it? Pau Pau?
Pau's wife is called Paula, according to the Google search I performed before I did my eastie post earlier.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning , will she be down the reflex broad street any time soon?
Isn’t that Popworld now?
oh no , hope Ive not confused her . should have said The Soloman Cutler
Reflex and Popworld are two separate places and the Solomon Cutler is the Lloyds bar across the road.
Cheers. Broad Street hasn’t been my scene since the open mic rap nights at the Bierkeller stopped. Mind you, nowhere but work is my scene now I’m on permanent nights.
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Apparently she's an architect? Or there's been a mistranslation somewhere along the way.
Maybe she can have a look over the redevelopment plans for us.
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Another excellent signing. So far, so good - two top players that improve us where we were already strong. Now for the forward positions.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning ,
Just you wait till Paulo Dybala rocks up at Villa Park.
Alright John Terry, calm it down 😉
Is the wife Paula? It's hardly Pau and Paula, is it? Pau Pau?
Pau's wife is called Paula, according to the Google search I performed before I did my eastie post earlier.
That's nothing, my mate's parents are both called Pat
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Apparently she's an architect? Or there's been a mistranslation somewhere along the way.
Interior designer.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning , will she be down the reflex broad street any time soon?
Isn’t that Popworld now?
oh no , hope Ive not confused her . should have said The Soloman Cutler
Reflex and Popworld are two separate places and the Solomon Cutler is the Lloyds bar across the road.
Cheers. Broad Street hasn’t been my scene since the open mic rap nights at the Bierkeller stopped. Mind you, nowhere but work is my scene now I’m on permanent nights.
I’m a 42 year old married father of 2. I only know Broad St as I walk my through it to get to the Lego Discovery Centre.
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
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Welcome Pau , think you will be a great signing for us and win us some silverware
p.s your wife is bloody stunning ,
Just you wait till Paulo Dybala rocks up at Villa Park.
Alright John Terry, calm it down 😉
Is the wife Paula? It's hardly Pau and Paula, is it? Pau Pau?
Pau's wife is called Paula, according to the Google search I performed before I did my eastie post earlier.
That's nothing, my mate's parents are both called Pat
Know an Antonio/Antonina, who get around the problem by being called Toni & Nina respectively. Slightly concerned the Torreses might use the same thing and she might just be called "La" and he ends up constantly being linked to the red scouse as a result.
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
No mention at all on 5Live this morning...Kane, yes, and that Mitrovic had NOT moved to Saudi!
Below the radar is a bit of an understatement.
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Apparently she's an architect? Or there's been a mistranslation somewhere along the way.
Interior designer.
Interior designer?* Her house looked like shit.
* I know.
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I'm so glad we have finally signed him.
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Apparently she's an architect? Or there's been a mistranslation somewhere along the way.
Interior designer.
Interior designer?* Her house looked like shit.
* I know.
I didn't realise he was Czechoslovakian.
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Apparently she's an architect? Or there's been a mistranslation somewhere along the way.
Interior designer.
Interior designer?* Her house looked like shit.
* I know.
I didn't realise he was Czechoslovakian.
Universal remote.
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Morning everyone, here’s a short video detailing everything you need to know about new signing Pau Torres in 2 minutes for those interested now that he’s officially signed. This lad has deserved a big move for years and I’m glad it’s to a wonderful club like Villa. Can’t wait to see him in action! Hope you find this useful.
https://youtu.be/u9OC_mjRF8c
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Could you play football with a UTI? I'd imagine it would be quite uncomfortable.
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
No mention at all on 5Live this morning...Kane, yes, and that Mitrovic had NOT moved to Saudi!
Below the radar is a bit of an understatement.
It's all a bit, big news Villa are after Torres, blah, blah etc, then we signed him and they were expecting someone else to sign him. C**ts
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Look at that bone structure, he could do damage to anyone that got too close to him. Who needs muscle when your cheek bones could kill someone.
(https://images.webapi.gc.avfcservices.co.uk/fit-in/800x800/0bf70180-2025-11ee-a456-01740eaf4798.jpg)
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
No mention at all on 5Live this morning...Kane, yes, and that Mitrovic had NOT moved to Saudi!
Below the radar is a bit of an understatement.
It's all a bit, big news Villa are after Torres, blah, blah etc, then we signed him and they were expecting someone else to sign him. C**ts
To be fair, the radar thing is a perfect analogy of the national sports media. There's one station in London, one in Manchester, each with a radius of about 30 miles, then one bloke in Newcastle with a pair of binoculars and a few carrier pigeons.
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
I thought the exact same thing when I just saw a massive gaudy yellow "BREAKING NEWS" about Ashley Young joining Everton...
I fucking hate Sky Sports...
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Look at that bone structure, he could do damage to anyone that got too close to him. Who needs muscle when your cheek bones could kill someone.
(https://images.webapi.gc.avfcservices.co.uk/fit-in/800x800/0bf70180-2025-11ee-a456-01740eaf4798.jpg)
Put a flat cap on him and he could pass for Tommy Shelby's brother.
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
I thought the exact same thing when I just saw a massive gaudy yellow "BREAKING NEWS" about Ashley Young joining Everton...
I fucking hate Sky Sports...
pretty sure it's all sports media outlets tbh. they're all the same
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When I saw the news about Pau signing for us on Sky Sports last night (5pm show), you would of thought we had just signed a free transfer.
The coverage of the signing lasted about 1 minute, if Pau had signed for 1 of the supposed big 6 - SKY would have been all over this signing like a rash.
They gave more coverage to Kane not leaving Spurs and some reserve from Chelsea going to Italy.
I thought the exact same thing when I just saw a massive gaudy yellow "BREAKING NEWS" about Ashley Young joining Everton...
I fucking hate Sky Sports...
Best thing i've done in a long time is totally cancel Sky
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Look at that bone structure, he could do damage to anyone that got too close to him. Who needs muscle when your cheek bones could kill someone.
(https://images.webapi.gc.avfcservices.co.uk/fit-in/800x800/0bf70180-2025-11ee-a456-01740eaf4798.jpg)
Or as an acquaintance of mine likes to say: "You could grate cheese on those cheekbones!"
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He looks for all the world like he's just found God in that pic.
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He looks like a Wonka.
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Morning everyone, here’s a short video detailing everything you need to know about new signing Pau Torres in 2 minutes for those interested now that he’s officially signed. This lad has deserved a big move for years and I’m glad it’s to a wonderful club like Villa. Can’t wait to see him in action! Hope you find this useful.
https://youtu.be/u9OC_mjRF8c
Cheers UTI
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Just reading his interview on the site and it all sounds very positive.
Maybe he just has a good PR guy who briefed him on the flight over, but it does sound like he's done his research, or at least had more than one conversation with UE. Knows where we were when he took over, how we progressed through the season, and wants to be part of the next steps. Also says he spoke to Moreno about how things are behind the scenes and things like that.
All in all seemed very positive and it's really exciting to have someone of this calabre genuinely sound like he wants to be here.
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Just reading his interview on the site and it all sounds very positive.
Maybe he just has a good PR guy who briefed him on the flight over, but it does sound like he's done his research, or at least had more than one conversation with UE. Knows where we were when he took over, how we progressed through the season, and wants to be part of the next steps. Also says he spoke to Moreno about how things are behind the scenes and things like that.
All in all seemed very positive and it's really exciting to have someone of this calabre genuinely sound like he wants to be here.
He only wants to be because of Unai’s ‘project’. But who cares, he’s here and we are all excited by what Mr Emery has planned for us!
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Moreno sounds like he did a good piece of work on him. Good man.
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He only wants to be because of Unai’s ‘project’. But who cares, he’s here and we are all excited by what Mr Emery has planned for us!
You say that like it's a bad thing? What other reason is there for a player to want to be at a club?
That's exactly what I want to hear from any player we sign this summer.
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Apparently she's an architect? Or there's been a mistranslation somewhere along the way.
Interior designer.
His house looked like shit.
EDIT: paulie beat me to it.
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
Diaby and Johnson links true. We want both of them (mentioned Johnson before)
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Fuck yeah!
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
Diaby and Johnson links true. We want both of them (mentioned Johnson before)
Wonder if this would involve Bailey & Traore as cash plus trade.
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Fuck yeah!
Team America!! Would be as exciting as that puppet sex scene in that film!!
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Bailey & Traore
Diaby & Johnson
New series coming to Crime on Freeview.
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
Diaby and Johnson links true. We want both of them (mentioned Johnson before)
Wonder if this would involve Bailey & Traore as cash plus trade.
Bert must remain.
Even after Carpethead's idiotic decision to bin him off to Turkey, he comes back and hits two crucial goals in limited minutes in the second half of the season.
Totally effortless to him. He makes football look fun.
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
Diaby and Johnson links true. We want both of them (mentioned Johnson before)
Wonder if this would involve Bailey & Traore as cash plus trade.
Bert must remain.
Even after Carpethead's idiotic decision to bin him off to Turkey, he comes back and hits two crucial goals in limited minutes in the second half of the season.
Totally effortless to him. He makes football look fun.
Unfortunately, Traore has two interpretations of 'effortless' - one is the rarely seen interpretation as per at Leicester, and the much more frequently seen one is 'effortless' as in 'there is no effort in evidence'.
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
Diaby and Johnson links true. We want both of them (mentioned Johnson before)
Wonder if this would involve Bailey & Traore as cash plus trade.
Bert must remain.
Even after Carpethead's idiotic decision to bin him off to Turkey, he comes back and hits two crucial goals in limited minutes in the second half of the season.
Totally effortless to him. He makes football look fun.
YES.
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Think I said early doors of Emery this was a serious target. His number one defender he wanted - period
Great addition
Who do you think is next Vinnie?
Diaby and Johnson links true. We want both of them (mentioned Johnson before)
Wonder if this would involve Bailey & Traore as cash plus trade.
Bert must remain.
Even after Carpethead's idiotic decision to bin him off to Turkey, he comes back and hits two crucial goals in limited minutes in the second half of the season.
Totally effortless to him. He makes football look fun.
YES.
NO.
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YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.
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YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO there's no limit (to how much I think he should be moved on, fanx for the memories Bert).
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I've met you edgy satsumas before. You're not edgy, you just hate joy. Wink.
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I've met you edgy satsumas before. You're not edgy, you just hate joy. Wink.
Ooo I'm not edgy at all, I'm like a cue ball. I'll get joy from seeing someone better than Bert on the pitch, though 🙂.
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Nobody, nobody is better than Bert (
on his day)
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I love Bert, but that love is better remembered for being still in bloom when it ended. Far better that Leicester away is my abiding memory of the Villa Bert affair, than the many more games that there were like Wolves away.
Bert must go now and ply his insane cross field volleys on new pastures.
Love you Bert.
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What if we scour the world to sign a winger called Ernie to play across from him?
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What if we scour the world to sign a winger called Ernie to play across from him?
That would actually make all the difference and would make my rapidly increasing season ticket price worth every penny
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What if we scour the world to sign a winger called Ernie to play across from him?
We've already had an Elmo
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A fantastic transfer , but where does this leave Mings?
Pau Torres is the epitome of football.
Of course, it's a squad game, but Torres is a better footballer than Mings, so Torres must be first choice.
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A fantastic transfer , but where does this leave Mings?
Pau Torres is the epitome of football.
Of course, it's a squad game, but Torres is a better footballer than Mings, so Torres must be first choice.
I think Emery loves Mings, Footy.
I've never been fully convinced about Mings, but he's been outstanding since Emery came in, and I'm chuffed for the bloke. His manner and work off the pitch is exemplary, also.
I don't think Mings is being dropped for Torres.
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Wtf is football?
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The kind of play to which we have grown accustomed sees the need for Pau who is comfortable in ball possession amd passing and excellent playing out from the back, a classy defender who is also a genuine threat at set pieces.
I imagine it's a merciless upgrade on Mings, whom I admire but who is still learning how to be a better technician.
I'm a big supporter of TM as a player and a person, but I'm curious why defenders from the Champions League were brought in this summer and last.
That is considered coaches want an improvement. It's also of course a squad game and Mings will be needed.
Mings saw off Carlos last season and demonstrated his resilience and growth proving to play and defend generally at excellent level, but I believe Pau will be the first choice left centre back.
All the signs are there.
I just open the discussion on where Mings stands in being in the team or will both left footed centre backs play? With one out of their favoured and natural position.
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Wtf is football?
It’s a ball
And Uni has written his name on it so no one pinches it
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What if we scour the world to sign a winger called Ernie to play across from him?
I wonder what Ernie Hunt is doing these days?
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Wtf is football?
It’s a ball
And Uni has written his name on it so no one pinches it
Surely its a round version of an Emery Board for filing your nails?
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Wtf is football?
It’s a ball
And Uni has written his name on it so no one pinches it
You learn something new every day.
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A fantastic transfer , but where does this leave Mings?
Pau Torres is the epitome of football.
Of course, it's a squad game, but Torres is a better footballer than Mings, so Torres must be first choice.
It really isn't that binary. We've already learned that Emery will play the player suited to each game. He also likes playing the lopsided back four, where it becomes a 3 when we are in possession. We'll see a mix of players used right across the team (perhaps other than your other bete noire, Emi M).
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A fantastic transfer , but where does this leave Mings?
Pau Torres is the epitome of football.
Of course, it's a squad game, but Torres is a better footballer than Mings, so Torres must be first choice.
It really isn't that binary. We've already learned that Emery will play the player suited to each game. He also likes playing the lopsided back four, where it becomes a 3 when we are in possession. We'll see a mix of players used right across the team (perhaps other than your other bete noire, Emi M).
I know the need for a strong squad and options in all positions to cover injuries etc
But I don’t agree that he will be swapping and changing very often, I think as the season goes on he will settle on what he feels is his best pairing and play it in the games when they are both fit
I think that will be the case in league games anyway
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I think he'll mostly play Mings and Torres together, if everybody is fit.
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Isn’t Torres a left sided CB? I actually think it will be Carlos and Torres long term
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Isn’t Torres a left sided CB? I actually think it will be Carlos and Torres long term
Can't see that at all, neither of them are known for their aerial prowess and it's still an important part of English football.
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Isn’t Torres a left sided CB? I actually think it will be Carlos and Torres long term
Can't see that at all, neither of them are known for their aerial prowess and it's still an important part of English football.
I think he'll mostly play Mings and Torres together, if everybody is fit.
Pau Torres' is a wonderful first choice asset with great his ability to play the ball. He is a left-footed player who played left centre defence for Emery at Vila Real. He speaks Emerys language both in tounge and football.
I have to say, as it doesn't seem to be pointed out, that he's an upgrade over Mings, and I will add because I don't see Emery playing two left-footed centre backs in a four-man defence.
Due to the fee and the difference in abilities. If not an upgrade a player who is more suited and comfortable with experience in Emerys defence.
Not to say Mings won't have his uses.
Pau Torres is now the best defender we have and someone who knows how to play for Emery. Pau initiates attacks and theres isnt a better centre back that we have in possesion and who carries the ball. He can already play Emery's way and does what Tyrone Mings has been attempting to do and has been instructed to do by Emery.
Villa have invested in him and he Villa to be maybe even the future captain of the team. There's no way he isn't starting majority of matches.
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I think worrying about “first choice” or not is just going to needlessly expend a lot of energy. We need a strong squad and if we achieve our aims we’ll be playing a lot of games. There’s going to be plenty of game time to go around.
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So I can see how it's confusing for some, as it's now time to think that Mings has now been put in as an important squad player but not as a first choice, as for all I can see, the signs are that Pau will be the defensive leader.
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I think worrying about “first choice” or not is just going to needlessly expend a lot of energy. We need a strong squad and if we achieve our aims we’ll be playing a lot of games. There’s going to be plenty of game time to go around.
Yes agree and shared this as well regards game time just on the discussion to Mings role within the squad and the unlikely scenario of having two left footed centre backs in a four man defence.
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So I can see how it's confusing for some, as it's now time to think that Mings has now been put in as an important squad player but not as a first choice, as for all I can see, the signs are that Pau will be the defensive leader.
But are you taking into account Mings’ leadership skills? I think Mings and Torres together could be our strongest pair, if one of them can adjust to the right.
I think Mings played right-sided for England alongside Maguire, didn’t he?
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It's called having a strong squad with lots of quality options and contingency for injuries. If you want to be club competing at the top end, you have to move on from stop gaps like Callum Chambers.
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Pau Torres will be first choice because he’s been bought in specifically to play football out from the back
That’s one of his main skill sets and the reason Emery wanted him
Our other central defenders can’t play that way so he’s brought someone in who can
He’ll play 90% + league games in my view when he’s fit, unless he ends up being a bit rubbish
The question remains as to who will play alongside him
Like Rizzo says I think and hope it will be Mings, but we haven’t really seen what Diego Carlos can do yet so that may or may not change
In my view the central defensive changes will come in our cup campaigns
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
I think that is spot on. Looking at the pathetic headed clearance attempt by Carlos against Walsall for thier goal I think he is the weakest of the 4 CB'S have
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
I think that is spot on. Looking at the pathetic headed clearance attempt by Carlos against Walsall for thier goal I think he is the weakest of the 4 CB'S have
Wasn't that the young lad Feeney?
I think Carlos needs a bit of time to be honest.
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I could possibly see Carlos going out on loan to be honest. He needs to play regularly to get back up to speed and that isn't going to happen here this season.
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
I think that is spot on. Looking at the pathetic headed clearance attempt by Carlos against Walsall for thier goal I think he is the weakest of the 4 CB'S have
Wasn't that the young lad Feeney?
I think Carlos needs a bit of time to be honest.
No, Carlos messed up his header, and the ball then landed at young Feeney's feet who seemed to sort of kick it against himself which presented the chance to the Walsall player, who took it. Not a big deal, these games are for blowing the cobwebs away.
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Ah, ok. I didn't catch all the game and missed their goal. I heard it was an error and saw Feeney's name mentioned.
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I think come Newcastle there is every chance that Konsa and Mings will still be the centre backs…Torres will need a time to get used to team mates and Carlos has yet to be tested against any proper opposition since his injury. That’s the beauty of having two existing centre halves who are up to it, plenty of time to arrive at best combo
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Ah, ok. I didn't catch all the game and missed their goal. I heard it was an error and saw Feeney's name mentioned.
It was a shame as Feeney had played quite well until then.
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He’ll go out on loan and that’s the right thing to do, decent with the ball and sees danger well but, nowhere near being ready physically.
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
I think that is spot on. Looking at the pathetic headed clearance attempt by Carlos against Walsall for thier goal I think he is the weakest of the 4 CB'S have
I'd be concerned if we end up playing Konsa at right-back in anything other than an emergency. He is a decent centre-back but his distribution is average at best. It was noticeable how many times he had the chance to thread fairly easy balls through the lines into the midfield in games at the back end of last season but instead opted to play the ball to the right back.
Mings, by contrast, was playing some really astute balls into the midfield which initiated attacks.
To be honest if we don't buy another specialist right-back then I'd say we'd be risking the opportunity to make further progress next season.
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
I think that is spot on. Looking at the pathetic headed clearance attempt by Carlos against Walsall for thier goal I think he is the weakest of the 4 CB'S have
I'd be concerned if we end up playing Konsa at right-back in anything other than an emergency. He is a decent centre-back but his distribution is average at best. It was noticeable how many times he had the chance to thread fairly easy balls through the lines into the midfield in games at the back end of last season but instead opted to play the ball to the right back.
Mings, by contrast, was playing some really astute balls into the midfield which initiated attacks.
To be honest if we don't buy another specialist right-back then I'd say we'd be risking the opportunity to make further progress next season.
I agree with Bobby boy
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Konsa cannot play as right back for the same reason Mings can't play left back. Neither have the required speed or mobility to get up and down the flanks to compete with opposing wide players.
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I can see a back 4 of
Konsa Mings Torres Moreno
at times next season. Particularly giving Moreno licence to push forward. The other three have pace and an ability to read the game and make last ditch tackles too.
I think that is spot on. Looking at the pathetic headed clearance attempt by Carlos against Walsall for thier goal I think he is the weakest of the 4 CB'S have
I'd be concerned if we end up playing Konsa at right-back in anything other than an emergency. He is a decent centre-back but his distribution is average at best. It was noticeable how many times he had the chance to thread fairly easy balls through the lines into the midfield in games at the back end of last season but instead opted to play the ball to the right back.
Mings, by contrast, was playing some really astute balls into the midfield which initiated attacks.
To be honest if we don't buy another specialist right-back then I'd say we'd be risking the opportunity to make further progress next season.
I agree with Bobby boy
Given that it looks like Digne might be on his way out of the club and reports indicate Moreno might not be fit until a few games into the season, it feels like left back may end up being prioritised over right back, particularly as Emery likes to set up with the left full back bombing on, where at least Cash is fit at RB.
With a month to go till we k/o against Newcastle, i really don’t see us getting in cover at right back, left back, goalie and two attack minded players.
You’d hope if Digne is going, the club have got another left back lined up. Tierney would be a great signing in my view. If something like that happened, along with Diaby and Johnson and what we’ve already done, it would possibly be the best window we’ve had……other than the back up goalie situation.
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Above every other need a new RB is uttermost priority IMO. I m afraid Cash isnt up to the standard needed there when we are upgrading the team in most other departments; just my opinion, wont go into details (but being able to playing out of the back for one thing, then also important to have enough sense of positioning and timing in duels (both on ground and in air) as a RB and being able to deliver a decent cross more often than not would bre welcome as well). When Young is gone we dont have an alternative there as we are going in to the new season. Though I have strangely got a bit used to a feeling I will be disappointed when it comes to getting in a RB that is up to it.
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I agree we need an upgrade on Cash.
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
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I agree we need an upgrade on Cash.
Like the way football is.
Contactless
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
Mostly because its balance.
Mings couldn't play right centre back he's left footed.
Pau has the ability too but he's a left centre back.
It's fascinating to see how it goes if it is two left centre backs.
I don't support that idea though it's unnecessary and unlikely from how I understand a back 4 defence woth 2 centre backs.
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
Mostly because its balance.
Mings couldn't play right centre back he's left footed.
Pau has the ability too but he's a left centre back.
It's fascinating to see how it goes if it is two left centre backs.
I don't support that idea though it's unnecessary and unlikely from how I understand a back 4 defence woth 2 centre backs.
But hasn't Mings played right CB alongside Maguire for England?
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No idea, but if he has it will have been against a team of farmers.
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
Mostly because its balance.
Mings couldn't play right centre back he's left footed.
Pau has the ability too but he's a left centre back.
It's fascinating to see how it goes if it is two left centre backs.
I don't support that idea though it's unnecessary and unlikely from how I understand a back 4 defence woth 2 centre backs.
But hasn't Mings played right CB alongside Maguire for England?
Yep. And people many left footers have played at rcb and vice versa, it's a nonsense thing to say that people can't. They don't very often, but they certainly can
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But hasn't Mings played right CB alongside Maguire for England?
Oh, actually looking at his game with Maguire against Bulgaria, Mings played left.
He played right in a back 3 against Ireland, but that looks like his only time.
Ignore me!
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
Mostly because its balance.
Mings couldn't play right centre back he's left footed.
Pau has the ability too but he's a left centre back.
It's fascinating to see how it goes if it is two left centre backs.
I don't support that idea though it's unnecessary and unlikely from how I understand a back 4 defence woth 2 centre backs.
But hasn't Mings played right CB alongside Maguire for England?
No idea, but if he has it will have been against a team of farmers.
Exactly so going on that basis Mings And Pau will only play together in conferences league matches or cup games . Maybe the theory they are going with for the two of them.
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
Mostly because its balance.
Mings couldn't play right centre back he's left footed.
Pau has the ability too but he's a left centre back.
It's fascinating to see how it goes if it is two left centre backs.
I don't support that idea though it's unnecessary and unlikely from how I understand a back 4 defence woth 2 centre backs.
No it isn't, no one bats an eyelid if you have 2 right-footed centre backs. People don't like it with lefties because it looks a bit weird, that's all it is.
Both of them will have played on the left more than the right because conventional wisdom is that you want to be turning away on your stronger foot, which means by going a normal right/left combo you are never opening up on the inside. When your average centre-half struggled to pass wind that made sense but now the vast majority are far more technically capable than that.
What does come into it though is familiarity with the players around you and the area you're in on the pitch. That gets addressed in training and friendlies and won't be enough of an issue to stop them playing together if that's how Emery decides to go.
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It's rare to see two left centre backs playing in a 4.
mostly because there are significantly more right footed players than anything else.
Mostly because its balance.
Mings couldn't play right centre back he's left footed.
Pau has the ability too but he's a left centre back.
It's fascinating to see how it goes if it is two left centre backs.
I don't support that idea though it's unnecessary and unlikely from how I understand a back 4 defence woth 2 centre backs.
But hasn't Mings played right CB alongside Maguire for England?
Yep. And people many left footers have played at rcb and vice versa, it's a nonsense thing to say that people can't. They don't very often, but they certainly can
What we could see it's Kamara dropping into the back while Torres has forays forwards.
That would be something which keeps a balance.
Pau likes to carry the ball and step into midfield so that could be something the team will do if Emery chooses to go with two left footed centre backs in big premier league matches.
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We also have to take into account Mings' strengths cover for Torres' weaknesses and vise versa. If we can get them playing together, I think they're our best pairing.
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We might also want to ease Torres in gradually.
He might be a Rolls Royce of a player and hits the mark straight away. But the likes of Desailly and many others have taken a while to adapt to the unique demands of English football.
I'd expect Mings, Konsa and Digne to all start in the early part of the campaign (if it ain't broke). And Torres to be next cab off the rank if either of that pair have fitness concerns early on.
European games might see us utilise Torres and Diego Carlos more.
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I would agree with that but having Newcastle away as the first fixture makes it interesting, as they have a very good high press. We bypassed it in the home game by not playing out so we could go that route again but they should be ready for that this time.
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We also have to take into account Mings' strengths cover for Torres' weaknesses and vise versa. If we can get them playing together, I think they're our best pairing.
We tend to progress down the left mostly so surely that's where our record signing will play. So I guess the question will be can Ty adapt to the right?
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Torres will need time to adapt , he won't have the luxury of the time on the ball you get in La Liga .
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We also have to take into account Mings' strengths cover for Torres' weaknesses and vise versa. If we can get them playing together, I think they're our best pairing.
We tend to progress down the left mostly so surely that's where our record signing will play. So I guess the question will be can Ty adapt to the right?
We progress down the left when Moreno is playing. My guess is that for the first few games we'll be looking to Cash on the right. This may mean we play either Mings or Torres at LB with a shift across into a 3 when in possession.
When Moreno returns, there'll be more flexibility to mix it up.
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Good article on Pau in The Times today
A little snippet
“He enjoys taking work at home: analysing opponents and watching back his own games to correct mistakes. “I have a person in my entourage who selects and prepares all the plays I have been involved in and sends them to me so that I can review and analyse them with one of my agents,” he says. “I do it after each game, the following day.”
You can see why Unai likes him!
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So Pau is probably looking at that clip when he let Mateta get away?
But seriously what a passer he is! If he could defend as well as he picks a forward with his crossfield 40/50 yarders he would be world class.
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The pass to Diaby (where his bollock hair was judged offside) was just superb - almost as good as the one for Durans goal against Hibs.
I am sure he is wise enough to get to grips with the change in this division in pace and power in time.
Will be interesting how he deals with Jackson as i am sure he knows his game inside out from Villareal days
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I get why people are blaming Torres for the goal but I think it's more complicated than that. The fact is they did us with a quick transition where they caught 3-4 of our defensive players out of position and even then it was only because Emi slipped that they scored.
I thought he was better defensively than he has been because other than the goal I thought his positioning was good and there's clearly some understanding developing between him and Konsa.
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His passing is unbelievable.
That ball for Diaby's offside goal was absolutely obscene.
He'll adapt with time, defensively - remember Moreno was exactly the same for his first few games.
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He’s also been thrown into a bigger role faster than he would have expected. He would have been partnering Mings who is a brilliant leader and organizer. So to come to another country and another top league, where the game is faster, especially in transition, he’s found the defensive adjustment challenging at times.
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I was mesmorised watching him from Upper Trinity at the weekend. His distribution is a thing of beauty, and I'm absolutely going to give him time to adjust to the pace of our league - He's already improved on his first couple of appearances.
A Rolls Royce of a player!
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Yes, I like him as well. He's going to be great.
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I get why people are blaming Torres for the goal but I think it's more complicated than that. The fact is they did us with a quick transition where they caught 3-4 of our defensive players out of position and even then it was only because Emi slipped that they scored.
Agreed that blame for that goal could be shared among a number of players but the way Torres was rolled in the opposition half was diabolical. That's not even good attacking play really, a big clogger has rolled him easily and ran away from him like he wasn't there. He's going to have to be phenomenal with the ball to make up for those kind of errors. It's probably anti what Emery wants but I think he needs to hold his position a bit in situations like that and let the forward take possession. When he dives in and misses he is done.
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They stood off him and focused on closing down the space for the receiving players. I couldn’t judge him on the Palace game. He’s a 6/10 player so far IMO. Still settling in I suspect.
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I would think Pochettino will have Jackson all over him like a cheap suit on Sunday.
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Fine by me Jackson is clearly rubbish
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I love some of the passes he pings out from the back. He just needs to be tighter and a bit more aggressive with players. In fairness that Palace player who did him for their goal looked a unit. But for me, he needs a bit of dark arts savvy. You shove the player off the ball, take a yellow and leave Palace with a free kick in an unthreatening position. He'll get used to the pace and physicality and the quicker transitions.
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I would think Pochettino will have Jackson all over him like a cheap suit on Sunday.
This bloke?
https://x.com/xthe12thman/status/1703526016780554350?s=46
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I would think Pochettino will have Jackson all over him like a cheap suit on Sunday.
This bloke?
https://x.com/xthe12thman/status/1703526016780554350?s=46
Thats the one - bloody glad he went there and we got Mousa
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I think once he settles and gets more experience of the league he’ll be class.
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I would think Pochettino will have Jackson all over him like a cheap suit on Sunday.
This bloke?
https://x.com/xthe12thman/status/1703526016780554350?s=46
Thats the one - bloody glad he went there and we got Mousa
Is he one of the players that rejected us?
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I don't think we were ever interested but there were some links because of where he came from.
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Yeah, my guess is we were rejected by Nico Williams (weird but he’s basque so…) and Joao Felix (and he might’ve joined if Barca hadn’t bid last minute).
Oh, and the fella that went to PSG.
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Yeah, my guess is we were rejected by Nico Williams (weird but he’s basque so…) and Joao Felix (and he might’ve joined if Barca hadn’t bid last minute).
Oh, and the fella that went to PSG.
Chiesa and Ferran Torres too, apparently. Although fair play to Torres, he seems to have worked his way back into the Barca team.
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I get why people are blaming Torres for the goal but I think it's more complicated than that. The fact is they did us with a quick transition where they caught 3-4 of our defensive players out of position and even then it was only because Emi slipped that they scored.
Agreed that blame for that goal could be shared among a number of players but the way Torres was rolled in the opposition half was diabolical. That's not even good attacking play really, a big clogger has rolled him easily and ran away from him like he wasn't there. He's going to have to be phenomenal with the ball to make up for those kind of errors. It's probably anti what Emery wants but I think he needs to hold his position a bit in situations like that and let the forward take possession. When he dives in and misses he is done.
He was naive. Being rolled was one think, but he should have pulled him back him and taken the card. The fact he couldn't because he couldn't catch him is maybe more worrying
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I saw a stat somewhere yesterday that Torres had the most completed passes (117) against Palace of any Villa player in a match since they started collecting Opta data in 2009/10
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I saw a stat somewhere yesterday that Torres had the most completed passes (117) against Palace of any Villa player in a match since they started collecting Opta data in 2009/10
I think it was 117 completed passes out of 125, a 94% success rate. 25 into the final third, which is the most by any PL player this season.
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Absolute class today. Assured as always, but defensively excellent as well.
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What a player. Calmest man on the pitch every time.
What I liked today was that he combined what we already know he’s elite at, with really good front foot, aggressive defending, the kind of thing you need to do in the PL. Outstanding!
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Matched Brighton physically today I thought. He was getting tighter to players and then as per, his passing and use of the ball were great.
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Absolute class today. Assured as always, but defensively excellent as well.
I'm just gutted that when he broke through his pass wasn't quite there to put Diaby in, brilliant play. What I really like about him is that you can tell he's a really smart player who's thinking 1-2 steps ahead. He's needed a bit of time to settle but the quality is there and starting to show now.
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My motm
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My motm
Yes agree, outstanding today
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When he came surging forward at one point I was thinking/hoping he was going to do an Alan Hutton.
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Classy player, getting up to speed with the pace and physicality of the PL.
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Very good today
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When he came surging forward at one point I was thinking/hoping he was going to do an Alan Hutton.
In one respect he did, by giving it to an opposition player! ;)
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I love watching this guy, his technique on the ball is absolutely superb, and he is now showing signs of getting to grips with the defensive side of the English game.
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Classy player and starting to read the game well. I like his passing and the way he brings the ball out of defence. Very good player who is still finding his feet and we have to be a bit patient with him. Was really good today apart from their goal, but that was a wholesale screw up and I can't understand why Fati wasn't given offside when he was behind Martinez and came from an offside position to play the ball. Oh well. 6-1!
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I can only assume that the Brighton player didn't touch the ball when it got played. It was impossible to tell on the telly when I was watching.
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So easy on the eye. He reminds me of someone....it might be Alan Hansen, no less.
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I was very impressed with him today, by far the best I’ve seen him play for us.
Some of his passing is sublime.
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I love watching this guy, his technique on the ball is absolutely superb, and he is now showing signs of getting to grips with the defensive side of the English game.
Agreed. He's so good.
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Put a lot of concerns I had after Anfield to bed in the last week, which is nice.
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It takes time to get used to the pace of the premiership but he showed his class yesterday, not sure about motm there were so many good players. You would be wary about criticising any player that Emre brings in.
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Of Course it should be Emery.
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He is so cool under pressure and a joy to watch. It takes all foreign players time to adapt to the challenges of the Premier league, especially those that have only ever played in one league before.
When SUE called him the best CH he has ever seen it was not said lightly
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Best CH he had ever worked with, I believe was the quote.
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I've been pretty sceptical about Torres' defensive ability and suitability for the PL. Hats off to him he was excellent against Brighton. He will have tougher defensive tests but even so it was a very good performance.
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When SUE called him the best CH he has ever seen it was not said lightly
Who is SUE?
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When SUE called him the best CH he has ever seen it was not said lightly
Who is SUE?
Señor Unai Emery.
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Soon to be Sir.
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Pau Torres Paella!
https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1708878902016331865
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He's got snails in it! Gross. Sell him immediately.
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Christ, where does he put it all? He makes Twiggy look like Warren Aspinall.
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When SUE called him the best CH he has ever seen it was not said lightly
Who is SUE?
Señor Unai Emery.
I thought t was 'Super Unai Emery' but probably depends on how formal we're being.
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When SUE called him the best CH he has ever seen it was not said lightly
Who is SUE?
Señor Unai Emery.
I thought t was 'Super Unai Emery' but probably depends on how formal we're being.
He didn't want to share his moniker with McGinn.
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Pau Torres Paella!
https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1708878902016331865
Jeez that is the most unappetizing paella I’ve ever seen. But at least his garden is pest free.
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Pau Torres Paella!
https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1708878902016331865
Jeez that is the most unappetizing paella I’ve ever seen. But at least his garden is pest free.
I know - how do you burn Paella!
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Pau Torres Paella!
https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1708878902016331865
Jeez that is the most unappetizing paella I’ve ever seen. But at least his garden is pest free.
I know - how do you burn Paella!
You're supposed to burn paella - the bottom is supposed to be black and crunchy, the socarrat
Looks like he's done it properly with snails and everything. Double thumbs up for Pau.
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I hope it tastes better than it looks!
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Paella is one type of food that has never done it for me.
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No doubting his footballing ability but the rigours of the premier league at times have left Pau found wanting. The physicality and pace are two areas against some he has struggled
I think this was suggested by people as a concern before he signed.
If he's coming up against Haaland tomorrow and Antonio next two matches it will be good test for him.
Torres is, in my opinion, a fantastic player, and Emery will work with him to address any areas where he may be lacking as well as provide instructions for other players to provide positional assistance.
He's only going to get better.
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There are some proper heathens who don't know what a proper paella is. ;-)
That is almost a Paella Valenciana but he'd get a yellow card for the red stuff (peppers, are they? Not allowed). Snails are accepted.
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There are some proper heathens who don't know what a proper paella is. ;-)
That is almost a Paella Valenciana but he'd get a yellow card for the red stuff (peppers, are they? Not allowed). Snails are accepted.
Its disgusting
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There are some proper heathens who don't know what a proper paella is. ;-)
That is almost a Paella Valenciana but he'd get a yellow card for the red stuff (peppers, are they? Not allowed). Snails are accepted.
Its disgusting
Imagine the Spanish when they see a 'Sunday roast'.
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I’m no paella connoisseur but it looks dry and a burnt……
Certainly not one for “rate my plate” Pau me old mate
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Well it's clear that you are not. :-)
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It looks fine. Apart from the bits of uncooked white rice that were not immersed in the stock.
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When he first posted that pic I went on to Google and looked up Valencian paella, it looks pretty standard. Stick to your roasties, babs.
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There are some proper heathens who don't know what a proper paella is. ;-)
That is almost a Paella Valenciana but he'd get a yellow card for the red stuff (peppers, are they? Not allowed). Snails are accepted.
Its disgusting
Imagine the Spanish when they see a 'Sunday roast'.
They be licking their lips
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The 3 most popular foods that appear in almost every major city in the world are Italian, Chinese and Indian. I am often surprised at the lack of Spanish restaurants in similar places.
Why is that?
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
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Pau Torres Paella!
https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1708878902016331865
Jeez that is the most unappetizing paella I’ve ever seen. But at least his garden is pest free.
I know - how do you burn Paella!
Aren’t you supposed to burn paella? The bottom should have a crust.
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Pau Torres Paella!
https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1708878902016331865
Jeez that is the most unappetizing paella I’ve ever seen. But at least his garden is pest free.
I know - how do you burn Paella!
Aren’t you supposed to burn paella? The bottom should have a crust.
You're supposed to burn paella - the bottom is supposed to be black and crunchy, the socarrat
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
In my experience Indian food is very common all over northern and central Europe.
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"Burnt" is a bit strong to be honest. The socarrat is made by cooking on a high flame (wood if purist) for the last five minutes so you get a caramelised, toasted, crunchy layer of rice at the bottom of the pan.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
In my experience Indian food is very common all over northern and central Europe.
I know. I didn't suggest that it wasn't very common. I'm just not sure I'd be making the claim that worldwide it's one of the "3 most popular foods that appear in almost every major city in the world".
Edit - I did a quick check on Tripadvisor on a few random cities to satisfy my curiosity, Oslo has 78 Indian vs 106 Japanese, Paris has 279 Indian vs 958 Japanese, Melbourne has 344 Indian vs 429 Japanese, Seville 7 Indian vs 84 Japanese...
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
And Mexican where lots of the staff speak Spanish?
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
In my experience Indian food is very common all over northern and central Europe.
I know. I didn't suggest that it wasn't very common. I'm just not sure I'd be making the claim that worldwide it's one of the "3 most popular foods that appear in almost every major city in the world".
I think you might be right but for the wrong reason. It's easy to dismiss it but American food is everywhere, I'd put Indian above Sushi and Thai in my experience though. That is very European biased so maybe it's different elsewhere.
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The fact the UK has no food culture has turned out to be such a blessing. We are happy to steal any cuisine (and do it well) whereas France/Italy/Spain seem stuck and restricted by their heritage.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
In my experience Indian food is very common all over northern and central Europe.
I know. I didn't suggest that it wasn't very common. I'm just not sure I'd be making the claim that worldwide it's one of the "3 most popular foods that appear in almost every major city in the world".
I think you might be right but for the wrong reason. It's easy to dismiss it but American food is everywhere, I'd put Indian above Sushi and Thai in my experience though. That is very European biased so maybe it's different elsewhere.
Anecdotal and 25 years out of date, but I remember living in Milan at the end of the 90s and there being about 3 Indian restaurants in the city and about 300 Chinese.
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The fact the UK has no food culture has turned out to be such a blessing. We are happy to steal any cuisine (and do it well) whereas France/Italy/Spain seem stuck and restricted by their heritage.
Very misinformed opinion if I may say so.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
In my experience Indian food is very common all over northern and central Europe.
I know. I didn't suggest that it wasn't very common. I'm just not sure I'd be making the claim that worldwide it's one of the "3 most popular foods that appear in almost every major city in the world".
I think you might be right but for the wrong reason. It's easy to dismiss it but American food is everywhere, I'd put Indian above Sushi and Thai in my experience though. That is very European biased so maybe it's different elsewhere.
There might well be European anomalies to counter the point, but to add to my list above - Lviv 33 / 3, Aalborg 11 / 3, Athens 122 / 60, Krakow 79 / 41.
I've not found any city in Europe yet where the quantities are in favour of Indian over Japanese.
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How did we get from major world cities to Lviv, Aalborg and Krakow?
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How did we get from major world cities to Lviv, Aalborg and Krakow?
Fair, but I wanted to get a good range of cities / sizes to make sure that I wasn't weighting things in favour of more cosmopolitan places.
If Japanese were the cuisine of the elites and tourists in capital cities, and smaller cities were packed out with Indian restaurants for the rank-and-file then I'd give Aftab his point.
edit - not that I expect he wanted his musings to be turned into an argument when I'd be in any position to give him "his point..."
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Only on this site could a discussion of a player who posts a picture of his dinner on instagram wind up with an argument about the international prevalence of foreign cuisines, which in turn mutates into "what constitutes a major international city?"
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I hope Pau is reading this thread with interest. Looks like he's got plenty of brains and curiosity in his handsome head.
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I hope Pau is reading this thread with interest. Looks like he's got plenty of brains and curiosity in his handsome head.
Hope he isn't - imagine his horror when he sees people incorrectly slating his paella.
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I hope Pau is reading this thread with interest. Looks like he's got plenty of brains and curiosity in his handsome head.
Hope he isn't - imagine his horror when he sees people incorrectly slating his paella.
If he is, he'll either be pleased or disappointed that no one has referred to his dish as a Pauella.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
In my experience Indian food is very common all over northern and central Europe.
I know. I didn't suggest that it wasn't very common. I'm just not sure I'd be making the claim that worldwide it's one of the "3 most popular foods that appear in almost every major city in the world".
I think you might be right but for the wrong reason. It's easy to dismiss it but American food is everywhere, I'd put Indian above Sushi and Thai in my experience though. That is very European biased so maybe it's different elsewhere.
Anecdotal and 25 years out of date, but I remember living in Milan at the end of the 90s and there being about 3 Indian restaurants in the city and about 300 Chinese.
Anecdotal and a further 10 years out of dater, on my first trip to Amsterdam there was a plethora of Indochinese places but we couldn't get a 'proper' curry, and similarly on a three week RV jolly around the western USofA we found just one Indian.
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I hope Pau is reading this thread with interest. Looks like he's got plenty of brains and curiosity in his handsome head.
Hope he isn't - imagine his horror when he sees people incorrectly slating his paella.
If he is, he'll either be pleased or disappointed that no one has referred to his dish as a Pauella.
To move things onto another tangent, would that be the Paul / Paula style feminine version of his name?
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Here's one I made last Sunday for ten people. Valenciana, no snails.
(https://i.ibb.co/kGn3Wx0/PXL-20231008-113339292-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/K5ZN3X7)
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Double post.
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Triple post. FFS!
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Cooking for 20 people is some effort.
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The first time we went to Malta, we found a little restaurant that offered both Indian and Moroccan cuisine, a different combination to say the least.
Mrs S is a fussy eater but does like the milder Indian dishes. I, on the other hand will have a go at most things. I had a Moroccan Tagine, Mrs S had a Korma, which she maintained was the best she'd ever had.
The Tagine was absolutely delicious. When we went back to Malta a couple of years later, we went there again only to find that the Moroccan menu was no longer available. Bummer.
We had a lovely Indian meal in the old town in Nice in great surroundings.
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Double post.
Triple
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
I'd say (a) no, not to the same extent and (b) if the Spanish had invented* something as convenient, adaptable and replicable as pizza then there might be millions more Spanish joints selling it around the world.
*happy to take the "but ancient Greece and Persia" corrections.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
Claim is valid. Europe, Canada, major USA cities, Caribbean countries, Middle East, Africa, Oceana etc. there is not much else left.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
I'd also wonder whether the original claim is correct. There are thousands of Indian restaurants in the UK for obvious colonial reasons, but I wouldn't say they're particularly prevalent in many other countries compared to other cuisines.
Without looking it up, I'd bet that in most cities outside the UK and the Indian sub-continent you're going to find more Japanese than you would Indian. Probably Thai as well.
Claim is valid. Europe, Canada, major USA cities, Caribbean countries, Middle East, Africa, Oceana etc. there is not much else left.
Happy to hear your examples.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
I'd say (a) no, not to the same extent and (b) if the Spanish had invented* something as convenient, adaptable and replicable as pizza then there might be millions more Spanish joints selling it around the world.
*happy to take the "but ancient Greece and Persia" corrections.
I thought most "pizza" in the world is American, not Italian. The same with most "Mexican" places.
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Happy to hear your examples.
At this stage I think discretion is the better part of valour😟
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
You’re kidding?
There are expat Italian communities all over Europe, massive ones in the US and Australia. They drove a large wave of 20th century immigration into the US.
They've even got one in Glasgow.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
You’re kidding?
There are expat Italian communities all over Europe, massive ones in the US and Australia. They drove a large wave of 20th century immigration into the US.
Argentina too.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
You’re kidding?
There are expat Italian communities all over Europe, massive ones in the US and Australia. They drove a large wave of 20th century immigration into the US.
They've even got one in Glasgow.
Stanley Tucci filmed a culinary travel series with each episode focusing on a region of Italy. One of the episodes was based in London because of the large Italian population in the city.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
You’re kidding?
There are expat Italian communities all over Europe, massive ones in the US and Australia. They drove a large wave of 20th century immigration into the US.
They've even got one in Glasgow.
The clue is in your name!
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There are some proper heathens who don't know what a proper paella is. ;-)
That is almost a Paella Valenciana but he'd get a yellow card for the red stuff (peppers, are they? Not allowed). Snails are accepted.
Probably Chorizo
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
You’re kidding?
There are expat Italian communities all over Europe, massive ones in the US and Australia. They drove a large wave of 20th century immigration into the US.
They've even got one in Glasgow.
My neighbour over the road is Italian. He even looks and sounds like he should be in The Sopranos.
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There is no worldwide modern Spanish diaspora as there is with those other nationalities.
Maybe that is a factor but doesn’t the same apply to Italians?
You’re kidding?
There are expat Italian communities all over Europe, massive ones in the US and Australia. They drove a large wave of 20th century immigration into the US.
They've even got one in Glasgow.
I think you neglected to say South America and Argentina. When it comes to talking about Italy in such a context then Argentina linkage is major and want to point that out and how much heritage there is in Argentina than comes from Italy.
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The fact the UK has no food culture has turned out to be such a blessing. We are happy to steal any cuisine (and do it well) whereas France/Italy/Spain seem stuck and restricted by their heritage.
Very misinformed opinion if I may say so.
Is it (which bit do you disagree with£? Taking my recent holidays:
I walked 300km along the primitivo Camino and the food was fantastic but I only saw typical Spanish cuisine until I reached Santiago (I don’t recall anything in Lugo or Oviedo, the other cities).
A week around lake Iseo and the food was off the scale good, but I don’t recall seeing Thai/tacos or anything other than Italian food. Maybe burgers. Girona the same.
I’ll concede on Lisbon and Barcelona but no where near the variety you’d get in similar sized city in the UK.
(Apologies for the humble bragging but food, drink and holidays are serious business in my life).
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Pau worries me and makes me nervous with his casual approach to defending. Pau excites me and raises my hopes every time he receives the ball from Emi or Konsa in our half and looks up and punts it 50 yards to our attackers.
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Pau worries me and makes me nervous with his casual approach to defending. Pau excites me and raises my hopes every time he receives the ball from Emi or Konsa in our half and looks up and punts it 50 yards to our attackers.
Yes, it was the best and worst of him yesterday. He can look sloppy in defence, and I don't think the deflection for the goal would have gone in if he'd attacked the ball rather than standing still with his hands behind his back. But then no other defender we have can ping the ball with such accuracy 50 yards to set up attacks, and as Emery said in his recent interview, that's an important part of how we play. Overall then, very promising from somebody new to the league, albeit with some improvements to make.
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He played a lovely pass to put Digne in behind their defence. As we progress, we'll come up against well-drilled defences playing a low block and that sort of pass can turn a game.
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He played a lovely pass to put Digne in behind their defence. As we progress, we'll come up against well-drilled defences playing a low block and that sort of pass can turn a game.
He also got away with at least a couple of attempted cross field balls from the left, played right into the middle or across the midfield that, on another day could have caused a serious problem.
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Pau worries me and makes me nervous with his casual approach to defending. Pau excites me and raises my hopes every time he receives the ball from Emi or Konsa in our half and looks up and punts it 50 yards to our attackers.
Yes, it was the best and worst of him yesterday. He can look sloppy in defence, and I don't think the deflection for the goal would have gone in if he'd attacked the ball rather than standing still with his hands behind his back. But then no other defender we have can ping the ball with such accuracy 50 yards to set up attacks, and as Emery said in his recent interview, that's an important part of how we play. Overall then, very promising from somebody new to the league, albeit with some improvements to make.
With the spate of handballs, especially the one in the scouse derby, you can't blame him for trying to get hands out the way. However as you mentioned, he didn't / couldn't attack it properly, although unfortunate the spin even beat Martinez.
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He played a lovely pass to put Digne in behind their defence. As we progress, we'll come up against well-drilled defences playing a low block and that sort of pass can turn a game.
He also got away with at least a couple of attempted cross field balls from the left, played right into the middle or across the midfield that, on another day could have caused a serious problem.
Wasn't it one of those that we scored the third from because the Spammer couldn't control the interception?
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He played a lovely pass to put Digne in behind their defence. As we progress, we'll come up against well-drilled defences playing a low block and that sort of pass can turn a game.
He also got away with at least a couple of attempted cross field balls from the left, played right into the middle or across the midfield that, on another day could have caused a serious problem.
Wasn't it one of those that we scored the third from because the Spammer couldn't control the interception?
Yeah, their big money signing too. Any of our lads would've killed stone dead.
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He played a lovely pass to put Digne in behind their defence. As we progress, we'll come up against well-drilled defences playing a low block and that sort of pass can turn a game.
He also got away with at least a couple of attempted cross field balls from the left, played right into the middle or across the midfield that, on another day could have caused a serious problem.
Wasn't it one of those that we scored the third from because the Spammer couldn't control the interception?
Yeah, it was close enough to him that he could get a foot on it but far enough away that all he could do was to give it to McGinn who then played it over the top for Watkins to run onto.
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That pass from McGinn, fuckadoodle do. Superb.
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Pau has attempted 68* long balls so far this season
50% success.
John McGinn 45 long balls . 33 passes successful. 73% hit rate.
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PAU TORRES Y LAS CONSECUENCIAS DEL VERANO DE 2021: "CREO QUE PEDRI NO ESTÁ DISFRUTANDO DEL FÚTBOL, YO PERDÍ CINCO KILOS Y MEDIO"
https://www.relevo.com/futbol/exigencia-verano-eurocopa-juegos-pesaba-20231027134258-nt.html
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PAU TORRES Y LAS CONSECUENCIAS DEL VERANO DE 2021: "CREO QUE PEDRI NO ESTÁ DISFRUTANDO DEL FÚTBOL, YO PERDÍ CINCO KILOS Y MEDIO"
https://www.relevo.com/futbol/exigencia-verano-eurocopa-juegos-pesaba-20231027134258-nt.html
FFS.
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PAU TORRES Y LAS CONSECUENCIAS DEL VERANO DE 2021: "CREO QUE PEDRI NO ESTÁ DISFRUTANDO DEL FÚTBOL, YO PERDÍ CINCO KILOS Y MEDIO"
https://www.relevo.com/futbol/exigencia-verano-eurocopa-juegos-pesaba-20231027134258-nt.html
So about twelve pounds, then?
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He mentioned Villa qualifying for Europe was when discussions started about him coming here. He wanted to be playing in European competition. But has he actually played in a European game for us?
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PAU TORRES Y LAS CONSECUENCIAS DEL VERANO DE 2021: "CREO QUE PEDRI NO ESTÁ DISFRUTANDO DEL FÚTBOL, YO PERDÍ CINCO KILOS Y MEDIO"
https://www.relevo.com/futbol/exigencia-verano-eurocopa-juegos-pesaba-20231027134258-nt.html
FFS.
Yes, I've noticed that Spanish speakers can be a bit loud as well
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Another interesting bit from that article is that we've got Torres on an upper body weights programme to build him up a bit. He says they're trying to balance it with keeping his agility and speed, but he acknowledges how much more physical the game is in the Premier League and how referees let a lot more go, so there aren't as many stoppages for fouls. He seems to be really relishing the challenge though and sounds very happy with the move.
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Impressed by his English, too. He's obviously only recently started using it, but it's good he has the confidence to use it and isn't scared to make mistakes. Although I read his Mrs is fluent, so he's got her to help.
I think in his case, it was always going to take time (on-pitch I mean) for him to get used to a new league, and new challenges in style of play along the lines of what he said. Then on top of that, on a human level, he was at his former club, a small town club, since he was six years old, and has been transplanted elsewhere, abroad, away from what he was used to and had to learn quickly.
I know that's the case with a lot of players, but I think that "been at the one place since knee high to a grasshopper" factor makes it that bit more of a challenge.
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Impressed by his English, too. He's obviously only recently started using it, but it's good he has the confidence to use it and isn't scared to make mistakes. Although I read his Mrs is fluent, so he's got her to help.
I think in his case, it was always going to take time (on-pitch I mean) for him to get used to a new league, and new challenges in style of play along the lines of what he said. Then on top of that, on a human level, he was at his former club, a small town club, since he was six years old, and has been transplanted elsewhere, abroad, away from what he was used to and had to learn quickly.
I know that's the case with a lot of players, but I think that "been at the one place since knee high to a grasshopper" factor makes it that bit more of a challenge.
Yes, way out of his comfort zone. I'm impressed by his attitude especially when asked about the possibility of a future potential move to Madrid to win trophies. Answered in an incongruous fashion...(Paraphrasing) "I'm here to win trophies with Aston Villa"
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I think in his case, it was always going to take time (on-pitch I mean) for him to get used to a new league, and new challenges in style of play along the lines of what he said. Then on top of that, on a human level, he was at his former club, a small town club, since he was six years old, and has been transplanted elsewhere, abroad, away from what he was used to and had to learn quickly.
I've always assumed too that it was not the plan for him to be playing as much as he has, as soon as he has. If Mings didn't get injured we probably wouldn't have signed Lenglet, and Torres would be playing the Euro/Cup games with the idea being he's slowly introduced to the league with a view to eventually replacing Mings. Obviously the injury changed the plans and he's been thrown in at the deep end, but I think he's done well, and will continue growing into the role.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CzG4eXbI3qs/
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He’s improving game by game. The physical side of the game in this country is something he’s now getting used to and his control and passing are a joy to watch.
I’m a big fan.
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I think in his case, it was always going to take time (on-pitch I mean) for him to get used to a new league, and new challenges in style of play along the lines of what he said. Then on top of that, on a human level, he was at his former club, a small town club, since he was six years old, and has been transplanted elsewhere, abroad, away from what he was used to and had to learn quickly.
I've always assumed too that it was not the plan for him to be playing as much as he has, as soon as he has. If Mings didn't get injured we probably wouldn't have signed Lenglet, and Torres would be playing the Euro/Cup games with the idea being he's slowly introduced to the league with a view to eventually replacing Mings. Obviously the injury changed the plans and he's been thrown in at the deep end, but I think he's done well, and will continue growing into the role.
I.like him. He is assured on the ball and has a good range of passing. Only issues really so far are his speed and strength in 1 v 1 situations.
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Progressive Pau! Number one in the league for Progressive Carrying Distance. This is the total distance, in yards, a player moved the ball while controlling towards the opponent's goal.
I adore his way of playing and how he's prepared to advance with the ball. Pau has been demonstrating how classy a player he is in games now, and he not only knows but also shows the Emery way.
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Spain have Pau Torres in the Squad with games played on Thursday , tonight, and also Sunday
Cyprus (A, Nov16), Georgia (H, Nov 19)
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Starting for Spain tonight. Good luck Pau.
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Happy about that. It's not been easy for him and the recognition from Luis Enrique will no doubt help him push on even further.
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Good news for Pau, but I always get a bit nervous with the risk of any injuries which we certainly don't want!
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Did the full 90 whilst his partner was subbed.
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Not even on the subs bench tonight vs Georgia. I hope it's not an injury?
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Not even on the subs bench tonight vs Georgia. I hope it's not an injury?
They’ve qualified so not needed I assume. The manager doing what Southgate should do and giving others a chance from the start.
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Not even on the subs bench tonight vs Georgia. I hope it's not an injury?
They’ve qualified so not needed I assume. The manager doing what Southgate should do and giving others a chance from the start.
Yeah. He's not injured, just not picked.
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His range of passing is incredible for a CB. He gets beaten on the turn and in the tussle, a shame that Tyrone got injured because he'd be great as left of a back 3.
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I must admit to being slightly nervous about Torres coming up against Son in the Spurs match.
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As I said before his casual defending is terrifying, his passing is sublime. He's good but no Maldini.
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As I said before his casual defending is terrifying, his passing is sublime. He's good but no Maldini.
His ball carrying ability is unrivalled in the Premier League. According to Opta, his total carry progress stands at 2,344 meters this season, putting him well clear of Manchester City's Ruben Dias in second place.
His capacity to think one step ahead can also be seen in how he uses the ball after winning possession. His tackles have generated chances worth 1.60 expected goals this season. It is the second-highest total in the Premier League after Wolves' Nelson Semedo.
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His range of passing is incredible for a CB. He gets beaten on the turn and in the tussle, a shame that Tyrone got injured because he'd be great as left of a back 3.
This season, only six Premier League players have attempted more passes. Torres ranks 15th for passes into the final third and third among centre-backs behind only Joachim Andersen and Lewis Dunk.
Only Tottenham's Cristian Romero has made more forward passes under pressure this season. Torres' average of eight per 90 minutes is by far the highest of any Villa centre-back either this season or last.
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Pau Torres: Aston Villa's defensive pass master helping Unai Emery's side to evolve and reach new heights
https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/13009519/pau-torres-aston-villas-defensive-pass-master-helping-unai-emerys-side-to-evolve-and-reach-new-heights
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Boom! Nicely timed gol today.
Hero!
Great header from a wonder ball by Douglas. World Class delivery.
Could have put us ahead as well with a free header!
Muchas gracias for the equaliser!
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Hopefully we will be seeing more of this, something we haven't seen for years, a decent contribution of goals from our centre backs.
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"Pau Torres is a donkey" according to the football experts on Molineux Mix.
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Should have scored with his first header but showed great character to put that right.
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"Pau Torres is a donkey" according to the football experts on Molineux Mix.
TBF, they'd know one when they see one, they've had enough of them.
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Fairly ropey first half an hour, superb goal, then much better second half. He makes a much better pairing with Konsa than he does Carlos, overall.
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"Pau Torres is a donkey" according to the football experts on Molineux Mix.
TBF, they'd know one when they see one, they've had enough of them.
That O'Neil Wolves team do the most fouls in the league.
They can do one ! The nerve ! They have a basic approach from a football league journeyman player who has little respect for Emery!
They gave us a favours by beating Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur and they are too foolish to realise!
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Fairly ropey first half an hour, superb goal, then much better second half. He makes a much better pairing with Konsa than he does Carlos, overall.
I thought he was the only defender who came out of the first half with any credit, he got caught for pace once or twice but generally was pretty solid and along with Luiz was the only player holding onto the ball for us. I agree he had a very good 2nd half.
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He’s ability on the ball is massive for us.
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"Pau Torres is a donkey" according to the football experts on Molineux Mix.
TBF, they'd know one when they see one, they've had enough of them.
That O'Neil Wolves team do the most fouls in the league.
They can do one ! The nerve ! They have a basic approach from a football league journeyman player who has little respect for Emery!
They gave us a favours by beating Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur and they are too foolish to realise!
Right on, dude!
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He reminds me a bit of John Stones.
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I wish Pau and Diego would stop putting their hands behind their arse when trying to block. That was a major contributor to the deflection on Sunday.
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I wish Pau and Diego would stop putting their hands behind their arse when trying to block. That was a major contributor to the deflection on Sunday.
I understand why they do it, but it does seem to lead to a load more deflections.
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I wish Pau and Diego would stop putting their hands behind their arse when trying to block. That was a major contributor to the deflection on Sunday.
I remember when Antonio Luna used to do that, Lambert used to go nuts at him.
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I wish Pau and Diego would stop putting their hands behind their arse when trying to block. That was a major contributor to the deflection on Sunday.
I understand why they do it, but it does seem to lead to a load more deflections.
They’re instructed or coached to do it. It might mean an increase in deflections but I’d say some maths has gone on with the result that not doing it would mean a higher chance of hand balls. After 13 league games we haven’t conceded a pen to a hand ball I think.
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He makes Harry Maguire look even shitter than Harry Maguire makes Harry Maguire look.
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I wish Pau and Diego would stop putting their hands behind their arse when trying to block. That was a major contributor to the deflection on Sunday.
I understand why they do it, but it does seem to lead to a load more deflections.
They’re instructed or coached to do it. It might mean an increase in deflections but I’d say some maths has gone on with the result that not doing it would mean a higher chance of hand balls. After 13 league games we haven’t conceded a pen to a hand ball I think.
We've conceded two goals from deflections in this scenario though.
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I find it fascinating how it's going to be with Pau tonight as We will very much play to the plan even if against Haaland.
Emery will have set our high line strategy, but Alvarez will be a real pain as he is good in their press and because of the way our style and system is the defence all need to be alert and Pau will be key in making some advanced carries and passes.
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Supremely assured, never felt concerned when the ball went to him.
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Superb alongside Carlos
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Sublime ain’t he? Also he’s getting stronger too. What a shrewd signing he was.
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Class. One first-time pass he played out to McGinn gave me the 'orn.
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What a snip. Great player.
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I was definitely one of the doubters after a very ropey start in a Villa shirt. But you can't knock his ability on the ball. For all Mings attributes, turning and drilling passes first time into midfield was never going to be his game. Even the equaliser against Bournemouth it was his pass out to Diaby that set him free. Torres is like another midfielder when we have the ball.
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Class just fucking class.
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I love how calm we all feel when the ball goes back to him in pretty much any situation. When he's good he opens us up to a whole new way of playing.
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Good shot attempt from a defender as well although relatively straight forward for a keeper like Emerson.
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He’s the conductor of the orchestra in Emery’s team.
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Absolutely Rolls Royce of a footballer. Not just a very intelligent defender, but an outstanding all round player. Really now coming into his own and one of the top defenders in the league now.
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There'll be a few more self-important clubs wondering why they didn't get him.
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His passing out was sublime this evening, but it’s his composure. He doesn’t seem to panic.
Pity he couldn’t have got his shot a couple of inches higher.
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There'll be a few more self-important clubs wondering why they didn't get him.
The mighty Birmingham City?
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There was a bit in the second half where the ball just seemed to magically appear where he was every time they booted it clear.
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There was a bit in the second half where the ball just seemed to magically appear where he was every time they booted it clear.
Just to add on to this, I couldn't believe our pressure forced them to just hoof it out anywhere as much as they did. And yes, to see Torres pick it up and recycle it and keep that pressure on was nuts. I've never seen us do that so professionally.
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I was initially pretty sceptical about Torres' ability to adapt to the PL. Although I knew he'd be quality on the ball, I didn't think he'd be strong enough or quick enough. But he's been fantastic, not just last night but for most of the season. What a masterful player he is. I still think we miss Ty at times, but Konsa stepping up and now Carlos showing his strength has allowed us to cope. Selection is going to get harder and harder.
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In a recent interview Torres mentioned he was on an individual workout program to help him build strength without losing any of his mobility. I think Emery had a longterm plan for him and he really wasn't supposed to have played as much as he has this season already. So for him to be thrown in at the deep end from the very first game, and bar a few wobbly moments adapt really quickly to the point where he's now looking like he's been here for years, it shows he really is something special. (And that Emery knows exactly what he's doing, but we all knew that already)
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There was a bit in the second half where the ball just seemed to magically appear where he was every time they booted it clear.
Irish fella who played for us had that same magical ability to always be where the ball arrived.
It’s rare and it’s beautiful.
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I love watching him play, the frequency with which he either plays a pinpoint pass to start and attack or strides out of defence with the ball at his feet, such an elegant footballer, absolutely quality.
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I suspect that Torres was brought in to challenge with Mings and play the same role Konsa has at RB. With the injury he’s become indispensable in the centre. Has settled well to the pace of the game over here and his range of passing adds a different dimension to our distribution.
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He reminds me of Alan Hansen with his build and passing ability - Hansen was a brilliant centre half for Liverpool
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He reminds me of Alan Hansen with his build and passing ability - Hansen was a brilliant centre half for Liverpool
That's a very good comparison.
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I'm glad it was Carlos having physical battles with the Freak, rather than Torres. The lack of pressure on him meant he could play football...
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It still surprises me sometimes how good on the ball he is. While we were piling on the pressure last night, and the ball was hacked clear, time and again he took the ball down on his thigh with one touch to recycle with a perfect pass with the second touch. Most central defenders are just "heading it back into the mixer" when they are 35 yards from goal like that.
He has the touch and passing ability of a quality midfielder.
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There was one moment of class (amongst many) that made me and my son both simultaneously gasp in admiration
Cross comes over from a rare man city attacck, Torres is around the penalty spot in our area with man city players around him, calmly controls the ball with his chest, carries it forward and passes into the feet of one of our midfielders and then continues forward to support the next phase of play
Wonderful to see
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He's like a good John Stones.
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There was one moment of class (amongst many) that made me and my son both simultaneously gasp in admiration
Cross comes over from a rare man city attacck, Torres is around the penalty spot in our area with man city players around him, calmly controls the ball with his chest, carries it forward and passes into the feet of one of our midfielders and then continues forward to support the next phase of play
Wonderful to see
Bobby Moore-esque
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I thought he did really well to play the ball out after the double save from Haaland. It was a bit chaotic in and around the box and in other games I've seen the ball just get hoofed anywhere, or rebounding around a couple of times until it eventually goes in.
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He’s another player who is proving he is every bit the player his reputation suggested. It takes some time to adjust to the pace of the PL and he was thrown into the fire much earlier than I imagine Emery planned due to huge misfortune to Mings. And in some environment too. But he’s grown into the role and arguably now a top 3 CB in the league.
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He’s Class
and the great thing about him is It’s his first season in the Premier League and he will get better Can you imagine what sort of player he will be next season when he’s fully adjusted to the demands of this league
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What I love about Torres is that he is every bit a playmaker in this team, having someone there with his quality makes us really difficult to play against because we have him, Doug and McGinn who are all able to dictate play and teams struggle to contain all 3 of them.
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What I love about Torres is that he is every bit a playmaker in this team, having someone there with his quality makes us really difficult to play against because we have him, Doug and McGinn who are all able to dictate play and teams struggle to contain all 3 of them.
Last night was a glorious vision of our future with him and Carlos doing the same.
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Torres and Konsa are both only 26 and complement each other so well. If they can stay injury free we could be looking at one of the great CB pairings.
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Torres and Konsa are both only 26 and complement each other so well. If they can stay injury free we could be looking at one of the great CB pairings.
and the pair in front of them are even younger!
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There was one moment of class (amongst many) that made me and my son both simultaneously gasp in admiration
Just wait till you see his performance in Wonka.
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A Villa supporting mate was adamant that Pau wouldn't make it in the PL as he wasn't physical enough. His verdict after last night, "he was alright".
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Torres and Konsa are both only 26 and complement each other so well. If they can stay injury free we could be looking at one of the great CB pairings.
and the pair in front of them are even younger!
Our spine is so young 8)
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Pau has been superb of late. A little montage from the Arsenal game. The recovery from an under hit ball from Diego and pass to Bailey is just sublime (0:31 of the video)
https://x.com/avfcthereligion/status/1733909165200884099?s=46
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It's fabulous to see him blossoming now he is used to the Prem.
Must have been a bit of a shock when he was forced to sink or swim when Mings got injured.
It was clear from the way he was used when Mings was fit (& some of the comments I seem to remember Emery mentioning the way he wanted to integrate Torres imto the team), that Emery wanted to gently ease him into the Prem by having him on the left of Mings at LB (ish), in the same way that Konsa is used on the right.
So, silver cloud & all that, it may have been a blessing in disguise that he was just thrown in.
Despite a few erratic early performances, he has really started to look the part over the past 6-8 weeks or so.
To have his ability to pass & his comfort on the ball that some CMs would be jealous of, playing at the CB position, is a sign of how Emery wants this team to evolve.
And I am all for it... 👌👍
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Pau has been superb of late. A little montage from the Arsenal game. The recovery from an under hit ball from Diego and pass to Bailey is just sublime (0:31 of the video)
https://x.com/avfcthereligion/status/1733909165200884099?s=46
That pass on about 33 seconds, under pressure, perfectly chipped out to the right, that's absolutely ridiculous.
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Sound like Pau is a doubt for Friday night according to UE. Hopefully only a 'small' injury.....
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What injury did Pau get.....apparently he hobbled off? He's a key player in this set-up. If he's out on Friday, who comes in? Lenglet is left-footed or does UE pair Konsa and Carlos - they are both right-footed which could upset the balance.
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What injury did Pau get.....apparently he hobbled off? He's a key player in this set-up. If he's out on Friday, who comes in? Lenglet is left-footed or does UE pair Konsa and Carlos - they are both right-footed which could upset the balance.
If Lenglet is part of the plans for the rest of the season, this is the kind of game where he needs to play
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I hope Lenglet gets a run out in the league so he can get a medal at the end of the season with everyone else.
In all seriousness though, I can understand bringing him in for the European squad and only using him there during the group stages, but we don't play European games again until March, and even if he's going to be recalled in January, he's here now. We might as well use him.
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Is he on our premier league squad?
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Is he on our premier league squad?
He was on the bench yesterday, wasn't he?
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What injury did Pau get.....apparently he hobbled off? He's a key player in this set-up. If he's out on Friday, who comes in? Lenglet is left-footed or does UE pair Konsa and Carlos - they are both right-footed which could upset the balance.
Carlos played most of his time at Sevilla on the left side of defence. There was quite a bit of talk when he signed that he would be taking Mings' place rathe than Konsa's.
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He took a nasty tackle from one of those fuckers a few minutes before he went off. Let's hope he's fit and ready because he really is a positive outlet for the way we play.
He has the most progressive yards in the Premier League so far this season.
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He took a nasty tackle from one of those fuckers a few minutes before he went off. Let's hope he's fit and ready because he really is a positive outlet for the way we play.
He has the most progressive yards in the Premier League so far this season.
That one where he took a second too long on the ball and the forward slip in to try and nick the ball? It looks like he half kicked the ground and/or the other lad's leg, so could be from that I guess? He didn't go off immediately, so fingers crossed it's nothing too serious.
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He took a nasty tackle from one of those fuckers a few minutes before he went off. Let's hope he's fit and ready because he really is a positive outlet for the way we play.
He has the most progressive yards in the Premier League so far this season.
That one where he took a second too long on the ball and the forward slip in to try and nick the ball? It looks like he half kicked the ground and/or the other lad's leg, so could be from that I guess? He didn't go off immediately, so fingers crossed it's nothing too serious.
Yep, but I'm blaming them for it.
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My prediction is if he stays for a few seasons he’s going to become a Villa Legend
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Mings is going to have his work cut out getting back into the team when he recovers.
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Longlet was with the very early departees from Mostar on Thursday and looked really pissed off.
Then yesterday somebody mentioned that if he plays another game for us we have to pay an extra bonus loan payment...and that he is definitely off in January.
Not saying any of this is true, and I can't imagine for one second that if Emery wants him to play on Friday, then any bonus fee etc simply wouldn't be an issue...
IMHO, I think he's been very classy when he's played, except for the first half in Warsaw!
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Longlet was with the very early departees from Mostar on Thursday and looked really pissed off.
I did wonder when he didn't play there if he was being kept for the Brentford game. I was a bit surprised to see Torres start given he hasn't played a lot of the Conference games, and he's played nearly all of the league games.
-
Lenglet is a possible option to fill in for Kamara over the next three games. I'm sure I read somewhere he can also play in midfield. Looking at his very impressive CV he's been no where near the level you'd expect from his experience. I also discovered he's French. All this time I was convinced he was Spanish not that I've really given him a second thought.
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Hopefully it’s a very brief absence, because I think he’s absolutely critical to our style of play.
-
Mings is going to have his work cut out getting back into the team when he recovers.
And that is what we want to see.
-
Lenglet is a possible option to fill in for Kamara over the next three games. I'm sure I read somewhere he can also play in midfield. Looking at his very impressive CV he's been no where near the level you'd expect from his experience. I also discovered he's French. All this time I was convinced he was Spanish not that I've really given him a second thought.
'Can' playing there and actually playing there are two different things. I 'can' put a shelf up but my Mrs wouldn't want me doing it often. Especially if we could go top of the shelf league that night.
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Lenglet is a possible option to fill in for Kamara over the next three games. I'm sure I read somewhere he can also play in midfield. Looking at his very impressive CV he's been no where near the level you'd expect from his experience. I also discovered he's French. All this time I was convinced he was Spanish not that I've really given him a second thought.
'Can' playing there and actually playing there are two different things. I 'can' put a shelf up but my Mrs wouldn't want me doing it often. Especially if we could go top of the shelf league that night.
Chambers spent an entire season playing in midfield for Fulham in the Premier League. I don't want him replacing Bouba either. If we're going for a like for like replacement, then it has to be Donk, with Lenglet as a possible replacement for Pau if he's not fit in time. Though if he's not fit enough I think it more likely it'll be Konsa/Carlos with Cash back at RB.
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I wouldn’t be surprised to see McGinn drop back a bit deeper and if fit Tielemans coming in.
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Digne posted an image of himself at training yesterday and Pau was in background
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Digne posted an image of himself at training yesterday and Pau was in background
Hopefully not on crutches!
-
Demonstrates how vital he is - back asap please.
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Demonstrates how vital he is - back asap please.
100% what I was about to post
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Demonstrates how vital he is - back asap please.
Both him & Kamara.
Both are key to us being able to play at a faster pace.
Making those beautifcul diagonal cross-field passes like Torres or making forward runs & simple passes from the CDM position is what makes players like Torres & Kamara elite level players.
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To start Saturday, hopefully alongside Konsa but with Lenglet if needs be. I'm assuming he was just short of starting last night and that Emery wasn't prepared to risk him for the second half shit show.
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A shoe-in for Burnley.
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A long lay-off for Lenglet. And Carlos too if he keeps playing like he did at Old Trafford.
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And Carlos too if he keeps playing like he did at Old Trafford.
He was abysmal.
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And Carlos too if he keeps playing like he did at Old Trafford.
He was abysmal.
He had been much improved of late, though has a tendency to be far too calm (careless) when moving the ball out of defence.
Did it against Bournemouth, and the other night.
I think I'm undecided on him.
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And Carlos too if he keeps playing like he did at Old Trafford.
He was abysmal.
He had been much improved of late, though has a tendency to be far too calm (careless) when moving the ball out of defence.
Did it against Bournemouth, and the other night.
I think I'm undecided on him.
Does that mean you are undecided on being undecided?
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He is the one player in the back for that needs to be told that if there's no other option, put your foot through it. He was 100% to blame for that first goal with that smart arse pass.
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And Carlos too if he keeps playing like he did at Old Trafford.
He was abysmal.
He had been much improved of late, though has a tendency to be far too calm (careless) when moving the ball out of defence.
Did it against Bournemouth, and the other night.
I think I'm undecided on him.
Does that mean you are undecided on being undecided?
Yeah, why not 😂
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He is the one player in the back for that needs to be told that if there's no other option, put your foot through it. He was 100% to blame for that first goal with that smart arse pass.
It was so bad, no pressure on him and many other options and at a crucial point in the match. And then he does Martinez again wafting his leg out for the second.
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Yep he had an absolute shocker.
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re Torres and adapting to the PL, just read this from an interview with Rodri:
Since I came to England I have gained ten kilos. It seems crazy, but it is necessary. Your body adapts to the championship which is extraordinarily strong here. The nutritionists help us and accompany us to a more physical championship in which more is needed strength
It happens to a lot of players: look at Pau Torres at Aston Villa. At Villarreal he was skinny like me, now he is gaining volume. You can see he came to the Premier League.
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Lightweight. I've put that much on this Christmas.
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I reckon I've done that in chocolate alone.
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"see that Rodri? I taught him everything he knows..... "
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I really hope this injury issue is resolved by the time we come back to play Chelsea. It’s not a coincidence that the downturn in the fluidity of our attacking play has coincided with his injury. He’s absolutely crucial to our play - it’s not exclusively him clearly, but he is the catalyst from the back.
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I really hope this injury issue is resolved by the time we come back to play Chelsea. It’s not a coincidence that the downturn in the fluidity of our attacking play has coincided with his injury. He’s absolutely crucial to our play - it’s not exclusively him clearly, but he is the catalyst from the back.
Agreed Paul. At times he's almost like having another midfielder as he gets forward, and he's a better passer than Kamara or Luiz.
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He was back in training before Everton, not sure if he was taking part in the full contact areas but he was definitely present...
https://www.avfc.co.uk/video/e6b80c64-7c03-44d3-8fa0-b25b5be780fc (https://www.avfc.co.uk/video/e6b80c64-7c03-44d3-8fa0-b25b5be780fc)
Lenglet certainly fancies himself as capable of hitting a pass but he's not a patch on Pau. It'd be good to be back to Torres/Konsa pairing for the rest of the season.
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It was Pau's birthday.
If this doesn't melt your heart, well... you're dead to me.
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Oh wow. Such confidence, not just the cake making - if I’d met John Sleeuwenhoek at that age I’d be struck dumb.
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Oh wow. Such confidence, not just the cake making - if I’d met John Sleeuwenhoek at that age I’d be struck dumb.
I think it's pretty common knowledge John Sleeuwenhoek didn't like cakes.
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A quick google reveals his nickname was Tulip due to his Dutch roots. Ah simpler times.
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It was Pau's birthday.
If this doesn't melt your heart, well... you're dead to me.
Well...the kid didn't use the round badge, and it would have been better if they'd done it for Nathan Baker back in the day.
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John Sleeuwenhoek will always be 'Slogger' to me.
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Still injured, FFS.
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Still injured, FFS.
Back before Christmas
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This is becoming a really serious issue now, he is a massive loss.
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Christ.
I'll have to sell him in FPL. That should guarantee a quick return.
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Still injured, FFS.
The usual Villa injury then.
He'll probably announce his retirement next week.
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Apperently he's stopped training. So you'd assume it's a few weeks at least.
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Apperently he's stopped training. So you'd assume it's a few weeks at least.
I wondered if that was a bit lost in translation. He came on against Burnley and that seemed to be when he broke down, so I am assuming Emery was referring to that in terms of being more careful.
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Why on earth did they bring him back against Burnley? I assume he wasn't fully fit.
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Lenglet was ill, apparently only just made it out of the facilities for the second half.
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Ah, ok. Cheers!
-
He is such an important player for us, we look so much better with him.
-
Lenglet was ill, apparently only just made it out of the facilities for the second half.
I did think it strange that he came on against Burnley, I remember he shanked a clearance into the Trinity Rd and pulled up after that. Chambers was on the bench so he could/ should have come on either at centre half or probably r/b allowing our best defender to play in his proper position.
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That's twice this season now it looks like somebody has been brought back too quickly after injury, and then ended up being out for several more weeks. Happened with Ramsey as well.
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That's twice this season now it looks like somebody has been brought back too quickly after injury, and then ended up being out for several more weeks. Happened with Ramsey as well.
Poor management in my opinion.
We can't really knock Unai for many things, but him and his staff have cocked up a little bit with Torres and Ramsey.
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Where's this news, it's not on Pravda nor in his pre-match presser?
-
Widely reported by Villa hacks.
-
A foot injury for any of ours is season threatening. Take the slippers off and put on some proper boots for Christ's sake.
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That's twice this season now it looks like somebody has been brought back too quickly after injury, and then ended up being out for several more weeks. Happened with Ramsey as well.
Kamara last season too. Came back at Chelsea, was clearly unfit and had to go off at half time.
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A foot injury for any of ours is season threatening. Take the slippers off and put on some proper boots for Christ's sake.
Honestly mate, you cant imagine how thin some of the professional standard boots are in the modern game...
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I don’t know. I’m imagining them being really, really thin right now. Like a Jacob’s Cracker.
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If this extends too much longer it’s going to really undermine our top 4 push.
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This one really irks. Either it was not just an ankle injury or they really fucked up with his rehabilitation.
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It's always the same with us. What was described as a small injury and he could be back for Man U. A month later and after a two week break, and still no sign, and by the sound of it going to be out for a while longer yet. Same with Digne, going to be out for 20 days, still not back a month later.
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But poor Spurs yada yada yada. We have been hit so hard with injuries this season.
I really hate our rotten luck with injuries over the years.
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Interested to see what paul_e thinks about our players coming back too early and then being out for longer. Whether it is negligent practice or whether there's a genuine reason, and it's just bad luck.
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This is really bad news. What a nightmare. I’d really want Konsa alongside Lenglet and maybe try Cash back at right back. I’m sure we’re stronger through the middle this way. No offence to Carlos but Konsa is one of the best centre backs in the country.
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Interested to see what paul_e thinks about our players coming back too early and then being out for longer. Whether it is negligent practice or whether there's a genuine reason, and it's just bad luck.
I started writing something but then thought it was boring and deleted it.
The short version is that it really depends and you have to take it case-by-case.
For JJ, in my opinion, he looked fitter and better rehabilitated when he came back the first time but I suspect after a couple of games he felt something wasn't right so they rolled things back and put him back on a recovery path, there's nothing unusual about that other than you'd normally see that sort of regression a little earlier which is why you don't see it all that often.
Pau is different and I'm not sure who is responsible for this setback. The original reports were of an ankle injury but didn't specify what. Given the timescales it's most likely it was a sprain which normally wouldn't have too many complications so the process would be a gentle ramping up of load over a week or 2 and if there were any issues slow it down and restart. I doubt they'd have skipped that or anyone would've ignored it. On top of that the new reports are of a foot injury so I suspect it's either a new injury that came as a result of some small change he made during his recovery (most likely) or that it's just a freak coincidence.
In both cases I don't think I'd blame the staff or say they rushed them back. It's very easy to draw that conclusion though and I wouldn't entirely rule it out.
Very fucking frustrating though.
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That was the short version? 😀
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I don’t know. I’m imagining them being really, really thin right now. Like a Jacob’s Cracker.
Think wafer crackers & you're a quarter of the way there...
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I don’t know. I’m imagining them being really, really thin right now. Like a Jacob’s Cracker.
Think wafer crackers & you're a quarter of the way there...
Water biscuit.
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I'll be more concerned if Torres and Ramsey are still unavailable for the Newcastle game. If you've a couple of players who've been out for a while, it's easier for Unai to say they're still unavailable rather than they're fit but he'd rather have them fresh for the league game in 4 days' time.
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I'll be more concerned if Torres and Ramsey are still unavailable for the Newcastle game. If you've a couple of players who've been out for a while, it's easier for Unai to say they're still unavailable rather than they're fit but he'd rather have them fresh for the league game in 4 days' time.
Same here but I fear it’s not the case.
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That was the short version? 😀
Yep, that's why I stopped myself from posting it the first time.
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Ramsey just rebroke the same bone I thought, which strongly suggests it wasn’t fully healed.
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Ramsey just rebroke the same bone I thought, which strongly suggests it wasn’t fully healed.
Yep, and sometimes no amount of scans and X-rays will show up a weakness.
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I'll be more concerned if Torres and Ramsey are still unavailable for the Newcastle game. If you've a couple of players who've been out for a while, it's easier for Unai to say they're still unavailable rather than they're fit but he'd rather have them fresh for the league game in 4 days' time.
From what I can gather Torres isn't training atm so can't see him playing against Newcastle.
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Ramsey just rebroke the same bone I thought, which strongly suggests it wasn’t fully healed.
Yep, and sometimes no amount of scans and X-rays will show up a weakness.
Exactly. Normally you wouldn't get as far along as he did before there were clear signs of problems but any recovery plan will have provision for setbacks.
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Being a bit pedeantic, it wasn't really a set back, it was the exact same injury again, and he was out for even longer than he was when he did it first time round.
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Being a bit pedeantic, it wasn't really a set back, it was the exact same injury again, and he was out for even longer than he was when he did it first time round.
Almost certainly because the time he had out after the first time was shown not to be long enough.
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Being a bit pedeantic, it wasn't really a set back, it was the exact same injury again, and he was out for even longer than he was when he did it first time round.
Almost certainly because the time he had out after the first time was shown not to be long enough.
I know, that's the point I was making in the first place.
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I'll be more concerned if Torres and Ramsey are still unavailable for the Newcastle game. If you've a couple of players who've been out for a while, it's easier for Unai to say they're still unavailable rather than they're fit but he'd rather have them fresh for the league game in 4 days' time.
From what I can gather Torres isn't training atm so can't see him playing against Newcastle.
He was in the video on the training pitch, posted by Pravda, from before the Everton game. You didn't see him doing any contact training. So is he isn't training now he must have aggravated his injury.
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Still injured for Newcastle FFS
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It feels like whenever we have someone 50/50 to be available for a game they not only don't make an appearance but are also 50/50 or completely out for a minimum of another 6 weeks. Whereas if our opposition has someone who is 50/50 to play against us they always make it.
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It feels like whenever we have someone 50/50 to be available for a game they not only don't make an appearance but are also 50/50 or completely out for a minimum of another 6 weeks. Whereas if our opposition has someone who is 50/50 to play against us they always make it.
Ollie made it back on time after some concern for his fitness earlier this season, but he’s virtually indestructible and very much the exception.
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Still injured for Newcastle FFS
Fuck me. It's as if we'd appointed Harold Shipman as the team doctor.
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Didn't we recently change club doctor?
-
Didn't we recently change club doctor?
Yep, Ricky Shamji left mid season for some reason which I was quite surprised by.
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It feels like whenever we have someone 50/50 to be available for a game they not only don't make an appearance but are also 50/50 or completely out for a minimum of another 6 weeks. Whereas if our opposition has someone who is 50/50 to play against us they always make it...
...and score against us.
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Newcastle will really target Lenglet after his poor display at Chelsea. Mention of Broja on another thread has me recalling late on how Lenglet seemed to mistake him for a ghost and allow him a free run into the box. Thankfully his first touch did the rest but likes of Isak won't be as charitable.
It's a pity with Torres but like with Ramsey it seems like we brought them back in before they were ready and it has cost us.
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Didn't we recently change club doctor?
Yep, Ricky Shamji left mid season for some reason which I was quite surprised by.
He got a knock in training. His leg's coming off on Friday.
-
Didn't we recently change club doctor?
Yep, Ricky Shamji left mid season for some reason which I was quite surprised by.
This is from a few months ago:
Unai Emery's year at Aston Villa: Meticulous planning, a ruthless streak and poaching doctors
Under Emery, Villa have made their best start to a season for 25 years and left fans dreaming of a Champions League adventure
By John Percy
23 October 2023 • 12:30pm
Villa manager Unai Emery/Unai Emery's year at Aston Villa: Meticulous planning, a ruthless steak and poaching doctors Unai Emery has told Aston Villa’s players and supporters to continue dreaming, and this is proving an exhilarating journey where nobody wants to get off.
Emery completes a year in charge on Tuesday and while the transformation has been remarkable, his vision will not be accomplished until the Champions League anthem echoes around Villa Park.
At some stage this season the brilliant Basque will complete 1,000 games as a head coach, and the possibilities are endless for the former European Cup winners.
Only Pep Guardiola has secured more points in 2023 than Emery, whose team have made their best start to a season for 25 years.
Eleven straight home wins in the Premier League are propelling the team on a tidal wave of momentum, with the club now only two points off the top of the table. In their controversial Castore shirts, Villa are making wins look no sweat.
So what is the end goal? While Emery has won the Europa League four times, he is clearly focusing on finishing in the domestic top-five this season to guarantee a Champions League place. With Chelsea and Manchester United struggling during periods of transition, Emery has spotted an opportunity which he wants his players to grab.
EMERY DRIVING CLUB TOWARDS AN EXCITING FUTURE It is a mission which just over 12 months ago appeared desperately forlorn: Villa had been thrashed at Fulham, with furious owner Nassef Sawiris leaving the game early to initiate the dismissal of Steven Gerrard. With Villa dangerously close to the relegation zone, Gerrard endured the embarrassment of being sacked and then having to board the team bus home.
Look at the club now, and consider the impact of Emery: a meticulous, deep-thinking strategist whose reputation in this country deserves to be up there with contemporaries such as Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
There was a wonderful moment on Sunday when Emery thanked one of his predecessors, Dean Smith, for laying down the foundations for Villa’s progress. The work of former sporting director Johan Lange [now at Tottenham] and chief executive Christian Purslow cannot be forgotten either, for Villa were languishing in the Championship only four years ago before building a new squad from scratch following promotion.
Many of those players signed during that time, such as Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz, Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara, continue to be key stars now.
Yet there is no point in diminishing Emery’s role in this stirring turnaround. He is unquestionably the man driving the club towards an exciting future.
It soon became clear last year that Emery was embarking on a ride where only those matching his standards and demands would accompany him. That stance was confirmed recently by John McGinn, the Scotland international, who said: “It’s up to us as players. You either get on board with it, get on the train and improve to a level where he wants to get to, otherwise you’ll be shifted out and we’ve seen that already.
“He dreams the same way we dream. He is patient when it comes to his ideas and tactics, but he is the same as us: he wants to win and he wants to win now.”
Last year's World Cup break is regarded as a crucial moment for Emery, allowing him to instill his ideas with his players Last year's World Cup break is regarded as a crucial moment for Emery, allowing him to instill his ideas with his players CREDIT: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images With that previous record of winning trophies, Emery delivered instant authority last November with an approach grounded in unusual levels of dedication and attention to detail.
Emery is a head coach who thought nothing of analysing Legia Warsaw’s last 27 home matches before their meeting in a Europa Conference League group game last month.
Insiders regard last year’s World Cup break as a crucial moment, with Emery’s methods taking hold in what was essentially a pre-season.
Lengthy meetings and match debriefs are the norm. Emery takes his players through detailed analysis, pausing the videos and pointing out where improvements could be made. He is big on communication, despite some theories that it was a key reason behind his downfall at Arsenal in November 2019.
Emery demands all players try and converse in English, regardless of nationality. He also speaks French, and can engage with the club’s South American contingent in Spanish.
There is little doubt he has complete control of the club from top to bottom, entrusted to him by co-owners Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Monchi was the eye-catching appointment this summer, after joining from Sevilla as the club’s President of Football Operations.
Hand-picked scouts are scattered all across Europe searching for future signings, while Emery has even transformed the medical department. The latest key appointment is Arnaldo Abrantes as Head of Medicine, appointed from Nottingham Forest and replacing long-serving doctor Ricky Shamji.
EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN BEING USED AS TRIAL FOR FRINGE PLAYERS Emery’s regeneration of the squad is also a work in progress. Injuries to captain Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Jacob Ramsey have highlighted why there remains issues over strength in depth: indeed, there have been occasions this season when Villa have named two goalkeepers on the bench.
In their European games so far, those issues have often become apparent. It is almost like Emery is treating the competition as a trial for some of his fringe players to prove they deserve to be part of the club’s future.
The January transfer window will provide a further clue on how Emery views the direction of his team, though the spectre of Financial Fair Play continues to hover above all clubs in the Premier League.
Villa’s European campaign continues on Thursday evening with a potentially tricky assignment away at AZ Alkmaar. They remain favourites to win the competition if they progress past the group stages, though balancing the demands of Europe and the Premier League may damage Emery’s long-term ambition.
Villa then return to their home with Sunday’s match against Luton Town, with a 12th successive league victory in their sights.
Emery will demand his team remain on the upward curve, and he does not believe anything has been achieved yet.
Yet something special is stirring at this famous old club, and in Emery they have a leader who is perfectly ‘Prepared’.
-
Whoever quotes that will likely be banned.
-
Didn't we recently change club doctor?
Yep, Ricky Shamji left mid season for some reason which I was quite surprised by.
This is from a few months ago:
Unai Emery's year at Aston Villa: Meticulous planning, a ruthless streak and poaching doctors
Under Emery, Villa have made their best start to a season for 25 years and left fans dreaming of a Champions League adventure
By John Percy
23 October 2023 • 12:30pm
Villa manager Unai Emery/Unai Emery's year at Aston Villa: Meticulous planning, a ruthless steak and poaching doctors Unai Emery has told Aston Villa’s players and supporters to continue dreaming, and this is proving an exhilarating journey where nobody wants to get off.
Emery completes a year in charge on Tuesday and while the transformation has been remarkable, his vision will not be accomplished until the Champions League anthem echoes around Villa Park.
At some stage this season the brilliant Basque will complete 1,000 games as a head coach, and the possibilities are endless for the former European Cup winners.
Only Pep Guardiola has secured more points in 2023 than Emery, whose team have made their best start to a season for 25 years.
Eleven straight home wins in the Premier League are propelling the team on a tidal wave of momentum, with the club now only two points off the top of the table. In their controversial Castore shirts, Villa are making wins look no sweat.
So what is the end goal? While Emery has won the Europa League four times, he is clearly focusing on finishing in the domestic top-five this season to guarantee a Champions League place. With Chelsea and Manchester United struggling during periods of transition, Emery has spotted an opportunity which he wants his players to grab.
EMERY DRIVING CLUB TOWARDS AN EXCITING FUTURE It is a mission which just over 12 months ago appeared desperately forlorn: Villa had been thrashed at Fulham, with furious owner Nassef Sawiris leaving the game early to initiate the dismissal of Steven Gerrard. With Villa dangerously close to the relegation zone, Gerrard endured the embarrassment of being sacked and then having to board the team bus home.
Look at the club now, and consider the impact of Emery: a meticulous, deep-thinking strategist whose reputation in this country deserves to be up there with contemporaries such as Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
There was a wonderful moment on Sunday when Emery thanked one of his predecessors, Dean Smith, for laying down the foundations for Villa’s progress. The work of former sporting director Johan Lange [now at Tottenham] and chief executive Christian Purslow cannot be forgotten either, for Villa were languishing in the Championship only four years ago before building a new squad from scratch following promotion.
Many of those players signed during that time, such as Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz, Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara, continue to be key stars now.
Yet there is no point in diminishing Emery’s role in this stirring turnaround. He is unquestionably the man driving the club towards an exciting future.
It soon became clear last year that Emery was embarking on a ride where only those matching his standards and demands would accompany him. That stance was confirmed recently by John McGinn, the Scotland international, who said: “It’s up to us as players. You either get on board with it, get on the train and improve to a level where he wants to get to, otherwise you’ll be shifted out and we’ve seen that already.
“He dreams the same way we dream. He is patient when it comes to his ideas and tactics, but he is the same as us: he wants to win and he wants to win now.”
Last year's World Cup break is regarded as a crucial moment for Emery, allowing him to instill his ideas with his players Last year's World Cup break is regarded as a crucial moment for Emery, allowing him to instill his ideas with his players CREDIT: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images With that previous record of winning trophies, Emery delivered instant authority last November with an approach grounded in unusual levels of dedication and attention to detail.
Emery is a head coach who thought nothing of analysing Legia Warsaw’s last 27 home matches before their meeting in a Europa Conference League group game last month.
Insiders regard last year’s World Cup break as a crucial moment, with Emery’s methods taking hold in what was essentially a pre-season.
Lengthy meetings and match debriefs are the norm. Emery takes his players through detailed analysis, pausing the videos and pointing out where improvements could be made. He is big on communication, despite some theories that it was a key reason behind his downfall at Arsenal in November 2019.
Emery demands all players try and converse in English, regardless of nationality. He also speaks French, and can engage with the club’s South American contingent in Spanish.
There is little doubt he has complete control of the club from top to bottom, entrusted to him by co-owners Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Monchi was the eye-catching appointment this summer, after joining from Sevilla as the club’s President of Football Operations.
Hand-picked scouts are scattered all across Europe searching for future signings, while Emery has even transformed the medical department. The latest key appointment is Arnaldo Abrantes as Head of Medicine, appointed from Nottingham Forest and replacing long-serving doctor Ricky Shamji.
EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN BEING USED AS TRIAL FOR FRINGE PLAYERS Emery’s regeneration of the squad is also a work in progress. Injuries to captain Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Jacob Ramsey have highlighted why there remains issues over strength in depth: indeed, there have been occasions this season when Villa have named two goalkeepers on the bench.
In their European games so far, those issues have often become apparent. It is almost like Emery is treating the competition as a trial for some of his fringe players to prove they deserve to be part of the club’s future.
The January transfer window will provide a further clue on how Emery views the direction of his team, though the spectre of Financial Fair Play continues to hover above all clubs in the Premier League.
Villa’s European campaign continues on Thursday evening with a potentially tricky assignment away at AZ Alkmaar. They remain favourites to win the competition if they progress past the group stages, though balancing the demands of Europe and the Premier League may damage Emery’s long-term ambition.
Villa then return to their home with Sunday’s match against Luton Town, with a 12th successive league victory in their sights.
Emery will demand his team remain on the upward curve, and he does not believe anything has been achieved yet.
Yet something special is stirring at this famous old club, and in Emery they have a leader who is perfectly ‘Prepared’.
Thanks.
-
Can’t believe how long this injury situation is dragging on - he’s such a critical player for us. I bet he’s not back before March.
-
what is the actual injury ?
-
what is the actual injury ?
His left foot doesn't know what the right foot's doing.
-
Can the hacks not ask this type of shit in their pressers? Tom Ross with his same mundane, lazy as shite questions today again, I see. And Emery didn't even understand him. Fcuk you, Tom.
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Can the hacks not ask this type of shit in their pressers? Tom Ross with his same mundane, lazy as shite questions today again, I see. And Emery didn't even understand him. Fcuk you, Tom.
Never got that bronx hat did you?
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We have been completely broken since Pau got injured. Compounded then by Digne going down. We look a fucking mess at the back.
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We have been completely broken since Pau got injured. Compounded then by Digne going down. We look a fucking mess at the back.
Part of the problem is when playing our high line, having someone with all the pace & mobility of a slab of concrete in Lenglet in our backline, means that we are completely open to being undone by simple Gerrardesque style long balls...
Sit deep, pack the middle & hoof the ball forward is the way we get undone by shit clogger teams like Sheff Utd & Newcastle...
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Any idea at when he might be back? If he's not training yet, I reckon that makes him at least 2-3 weeks away. I'm going to guess back for the Forest game.
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Any idea at when he might be back? If he's not training yet, I reckon that makes him at least 2-3 weeks away. I'm going to guess back for the Forest game.
It’s very worrying that we’ve heard nothing, he’s absolutely bloody vital to us.
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Any idea at when he might be back? If he's not training yet, I reckon that makes him at least 2-3 weeks away. I'm going to guess back for the Forest game.
The way these things seem to go, I'll go with the first game of next season.
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Any idea at when he might be back? If he's not training yet, I reckon that makes him at least 2-3 weeks away. I'm going to guess back for the Forest game.
The way these things seem to go, I'll go with the first game of next season.
Stop it.
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Does anyone know if he has a track record of injuries? Or is it just the normal Villa curse?
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Does anyone know if he has a track record of injuries? Or is it just the normal Villa curse?
Looking at his stats, looks like since 2019/20 he's hardly missed a game. It's a Villa thing.
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It's a real Villa thing as opposed to a Villareal thing.
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We have been completely broken since Pau got injured. Compounded then by Digne going down. We look a fucking mess at the back.
Part of the problem is when playing our high line, having someone with all the pace & mobility of a slab of concrete in Lenglet in our backline, means that we are completely open to being undone by simple Gerrardesque style long balls...
Sit deep, pack the middle & hoof the ball forward is the way we get undone by shit clogger teams like Sheff Utd & Newcastle...
I'm not sure Torres is any quicker. But the combo of Konsa/Torres was a lot more secure and Torres certainty on the ball was key for us. Chelsea and Newcastle were clever in breaking our offside line with runs from midfield. We simply had to drop off a bit last night to counter that.
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Torres can't come back fast enough.
Lenglet is the epitome of meh. I don't understand why he's played for so many big clubs. He's just a French Lewis Dunk.
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Torres can't come back fast enough.
Lenglet is the epitome of meh. I don't understand why he's played for so many big clubs. He's just a French Lewis Dunk.
And bizarrely our highest paid player!
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Emery quoted from an official Villa Tweet.
Emery on Pau Torres: "He is getting better, he is practicing individually on the pitch, in the first step before joining us, I think, next week."
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Positive as I feared it was going to run and run even from this point. We need him back.
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That’s some good news. We’ve really missed him.
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Interesting that Diaby hit a slump when Pau went missing. Diaby thrives on quick balls out of defence and Pau is able to see that type of pass. Hopefully, his return will see two benefits.
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Interesting that Diaby hit a slump when Pau went missing. Diaby thrives on quick balls out of defence and Pau is able to see that type of pass. Hopefully, his return will see two benefits.
He was struggling for a while before Torres was out. His poor form really started around November time with the Forest away game, and he was taken off at half time against Spurs then dropped for the three games after that. Torres played throughout most of December.
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Torres can't come back fast enough.
Lenglet is the epitome of meh. I don't understand why he's played for so many big clubs. He's just a French Lewis Dunk.
And bizarrely our highest paid player!
Is he? I thought Watkins new deal made him the highest paid? Digne was apparently the highest paid at the end of last season.
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Is he playing tomorrow?
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No
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Sad face
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Emery quoted from an official Villa Tweet.
Emery on Pau Torres: "He is getting better, he is practicing individually on the pitch, in the first step before joining us, I think, next week."
Due to nature of injury and my research and understanding then expect Nottingham Forest match at home is the one where he'll be up to speed to complete 90mins effectively
24th feb last game of this month.
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He should be back for the start of the season.
2124/25.
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We don't do one week niggles at Villa.
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He should be back for the start of the season.
2124/25.
If he were a Chelsea player that would be the last season of his contract.
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What is the injury and when is he expected to be back?
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He caught Villa and should be back next Christmas.
Unless there's a setback. Then he'll retire.
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Perhaps we imagined him and he never really existed?
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Sorry people - but it’s just a fever dream. Longlet is and always has been our left sided center back since mings got injured. When he plays well he is Pau Torres when he plays badly he is Longlet.
It’s like Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in fight club.
I’ve looked you can never find them in the same photo
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Sorry guys - but it’s just a fever dream. Longlet is and always has been our left sided center back since mings got injured. When he plays well he is Pau Torres when he plays badly he is Longlet.
It’s like Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in fight club.
I’ve looked you can never find them in the same photo
Yellow card.
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Good point SE - I have updated the op
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Sorry guys - but it’s just a fever dream. Longlet is and always has been our left sided center back since mings got injured. When he plays well he is Pau Torres when he plays badly he is Longlet.
It’s like Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in fight club.
I’ve looked you can never find them in the same photo
Yellow card.
Oh, and the ref's shown a red. Silly from the young man so soon after picking up the first booking.
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Great officiating. Applause.
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I need to apologise. Its always been a part of my game, but in the heat of the moment, I made bad decisions.
I have let down my teammates, the gaffer and most importantly the people watching. Some of them will be young children.
With the power of God I'll come back stronger
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I need to apologise. Its always been a part of my game, but in the heat of the moment, I made bad decisions.
I have let down my teammates, the gaffer and most importantly the people watching. Some of them will be young children.
With the power of God I'll come back stronger
Three-game ban unless you meant McGrath but how would you even prove that?
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I need to apologise. Its always been a part of my game, but in the heat of the moment, I made bad decisions.
I have let down my teammates, the gaffer and most importantly the people watching. Some of them will be young children.
With the power of God I'll come back stronger
Three-game ban unless you meant McGrath but how would you even prove that?
Is there another God?
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Good to hear he’s back on the bench - but please be fit enough for that this time.
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I need to apologise. Its always been a part of my game, but in the heat of the moment, I made bad decisions.
I have let down my teammates, the gaffer and most importantly the people watching. Some of them will be young children.
With the power of God I'll come back stronger
Three-game ban unless you meant McGrath but how would you even prove that?
Is there another God?
Sustained. The defendant may walk free.
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(https://i.ibb.co/2MnWM8r/IMG-1859.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2MnWM8r)
Great to see Pau back and rocking the 4 Konsa top. Hopefully playing at the weekend
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Nah it's castore tat and the 1 fell off.... 😁
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Nah it's castore tat and the 1 fell off.... 😁
And the Lion is still facing the wrong way.
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Great to hear that Pau Torres is back in contention to start v Man Utd.
Highlighting on specific thread for discussion in anticipation for him starting on Sunday
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As much as I love Tyrone Mings, Pau is an absolute fantastic player and we need him back ASAP!!
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Hopefully he’ll be fit next week to start, if he isn’t he shouldn’t be in the squad.
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Yes, if a player is not fit, don't put him in the squad. If he is fit, he should not have to wait and "earn his place" against the likes of Lenglet and Diego.
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Yes, if a player is not fit, don't put him in the squad. If he is fit, he should not have to wait and "earn his place" against the likes of Lenglet and Diego.
It seems to be the way under Emery. Double the amount of time from his usual estimate of how long an injury will last, and then put them back on the bench for 2-3 weeks before they're properly fit.
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Yes, if a player is not fit, don't put him in the squad. If he is fit, he should not have to wait and "earn his place" against the likes of Lenglet and Diego.
Eh, maybe it isn't quite as simple as that? Maybe he isn't 100%/lacks match sharpness
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Yes, if a player is not fit, don't put him in the squad. If he is fit, he should not have to wait and "earn his place" against the likes of Lenglet and Diego.
Eh, maybe it isn't quite as simple as that? Maybe he isn't 100%/lacks match sharpness
Well he isn't going to get match sharpness sitting on the bench. And if he isn't 100% he shouldn't be on the bench.
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Yes, if a player is not fit, don't put him in the squad. If he is fit, he should not have to wait and "earn his place" against the likes of Lenglet and Diego.
It seems to be the way under Emery. Double the amount of time from his usual estimate of how long an injury will last, and then put them back on the bench for 2-3 weeks before they're properly fit.
They need time to get back into match fitness….never seen it before….Pau was thrown in too early a few weeks ago and broke down again….
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Yes, if a player is not fit, don't put him in the squad. If he is fit, he should not have to wait and "earn his place" against the likes of Lenglet and Diego.
Eh, maybe it isn't quite as simple as that? Maybe he isn't 100%/lacks match sharpness
Well he isn't going to get match sharpness sitting on the bench. And if he isn't 100% he shouldn't be on the bench.
So who is our bench CB with Mings and Konsa injured? Torres is probably not ready but willing to play if he absolutely has to. I'm guessing you aren't a member of our physio team and so probably are guessing at his fitness levels?
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He will start at Fulham and we'll certainly need him to.
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I'm seeing our defence being breached and most of our attacks also being shit since he got injured in the battle of brentford. I'm hearing our manager state he is back in the squad. I am seeing him sitting on the bench for the last two home matches when we could do with him on the field instead. If he is so unfit they are worried he will break down again then I don't see why he should be on the bench. It is quite a simple concept.
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Ok, so who are you putting on the bench to cover injury to either Lenglet or Carlos? He's definetley fitter than Konsa or Mings and we don't want Chambers coming on, do we?
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And if he has to play because we get an injury to Lenglet or Carlos, and breaks down because he isn't fit and shouldn't be on the bench, who should we play then? So again, if he isn't fit to play, he shouldn't be in the squad. And if he is fit to play, he should be on the field. That is my argument.
We saw what happened when he wasn't fit to play but they still put him on the bench and he was forced to come on.
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Can you answer my question please? Who is our back up CB? Not trying to be a dck just a genuine question. We have been unlucky with injuries in this area and don't have the players to fill the spots.
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Can you answer my question please? Who is our back up CB?
We'd probably try Kamara in that position if we lost a defender early to injury, he played regularly for CB at Marseille a few years back.
With Pau this happened over xmas.
He will start at Fulham 100% I think.
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The same backup CB we had in the Sheffield United match when he played all three CB's on the pitch. If Chambers is all we have, then he should be on the bench (as he was against Chelsea) and if we are unfortunate enough that he has to play, then he plays.
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Can you answer my question please? Who is our back up CB?
Who was it today if Torres wasn't fit to play?
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And if he has to play because we get an injury to Lenglet or Carlos, and breaks down because he isn't fit and shouldn't be on the bench, who should we play then? So again, if he isn't fit to play, he shouldn't be in the squad. And if he is fit to play, he should be on the field. That is my argument.
We saw what happened when he wasn't fit to play but they still put him on the bench and he was forced to come on.
Agreed, he’s either fit to play or he isn’t. I can sort of get the first game back in the squad and playing it safe, but if he isn’t ok by the next one why is he there?
As an aside, and I’m sure it’s me exaggerating, but every single time we put a timeframe on an injury it’s always exceeded.
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Really hope he's fit to start on Saturday.
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I suspect he was on the bench because Emery pretty clearly puts a big emphasis on being part of the matchday 20. It's why he doesn't put kids on the bench very often and it's why when someone is nearly fit he'll get them back involved and in the dressing room so they're part of things and ready mentally to be back in the team when they can.
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As an aside, and I’m sure it’s me exaggerating, but every single time we put a timeframe on an injury it’s always exceeded.
And it's not just exceeded by a week or two or a game or two either. I am genuinely fearful now that Konsa will not be back in the side this season.
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As an aside, and I’m sure it’s me exaggerating, but every single time we put a timeframe on an injury it’s always exceeded.
And it's not just exceeded by a week or two or a game or two either. I am genuinely fearful now that Konsa will not be back in the side this season.
Same. I think Torres is probably still a couple of weeks away from being back as well. Hoepfully he's fit for Spurs.
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That simple pass into McGinn(?) for our 2nd opened up the pitch hugely. 2 passes later Ollies clean through. Massive player for us and the way that Emery wants us to play.
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That simple pass into McGinn(?) for our 2nd opened up the pitch hugely. 2 passes later Ollies clean through. Massive player for us and the way that Emery wants us to play.
Tielemans not McGinn.
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He is an absolute rolls royce
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Magnificent player, just absolutely top class. We really need him to stay fit.
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I want to marry him
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Had he not got injured when he did I wonder would we still be in the conversation for the title?
Today shows how we have missed him. A wonderful player.
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He’s brilliant ain’t he
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Excellent today, didn't look rusty after being out for a few weeks.
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That simple pass into McGinn(?) for our 2nd opened up the pitch hugely. 2 passes later Ollies clean through. Massive player for us and the way that Emery wants us to play.
I thought that was Dougie who did that initial pass.
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He was excellent, like he'd never been away.
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Excellent today, didn't look rusty after being out for a few weeks.
Absolutely. Fulham was the ideal game for him to return as they didn't really have a striker or at least a decent one. He's a joy to watch, reminds me more of a cultured midfielder than a centre half. He makes everything look so easy.
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He is one where we need to be getting Champions League football. His quality will be noticed.
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Love him. Welcome back pau!! Future captain or vice captain for me when mcginns injured
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https://x.com/pauttorres/status/1758928431046168615?s=20
What a guy!
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Why has Ramsey got holes in his socks? That Castore quality on show again.
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Next season should be fun watching Pau and Mings battle for the left centre back position and hopefully, Konsa becoming a dedicated right sided centre back.
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Next season should be fun watching Pau and Mings battle for the left centre back position and hopefully, Konsa becoming a dedicated right sided centre back.
With the greatest respect to Ty, Pau is the best centre back at the club and has to start.
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Next season should be fun watching Pau and Mings battle for the left centre back position and hopefully, Konsa becoming a dedicated right sided centre back.
With the greatest respect to Ty, Pau is the best centre back at the club and has to start.
Based on how Emery has us playing when attacking I'm not sure there's much competition there either. Mings will be the squad rotation option, which should still see him get plenty of game time.
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Next season should be fun watching Pau and Mings battle for the left centre back position and hopefully, Konsa becoming a dedicated right sided centre back.
With the greatest respect to Ty, Pau is the best centre back at the club and has to start.
His presence is absolutely vital to how we play.
I hope this summer we go out and find another similar CB.
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The guy is class.
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Love pau what a player. I know they are both left sided cbs but man id love to see pau and mings together as a cb partnership. What a handful they would be
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Why has Ramsey got holes in his socks? That Castore quality on show again.
Either a good luck ritual or he doesn't want his calves being as compressed. They don't look like socks either, seem to be leggings being as the white socks underneath are different lengths on different players.
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If Pau stays for at least three or four seasons, he will be talked about depending on how long you supported Villa in the same group as Nichol, Evans, McGrath, Laursen and Melberg
In other words one of the best we’ve ever seen
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Pau HAS to stay fit for the rest of the season.
If he does, we finish in the top 4, it’s as simple as that.
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Our whole way of playing is transformed with him in the team. Great to see him back.
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Next season should be fun watching Pau and Mings battle for the left centre back position and hopefully, Konsa becoming a dedicated right sided centre back.
As we've seen with Longlay and Pau today two left footed CB's can function as a partnership.
Plenty of successful teams have coped with two right footed centre halves in the past.
It might just be that the other qualities Pau and Mings possess can work well together when required. Mings is more comfortable coming out and cutting off opposition moves with a key header or bone-crunching tackle. Pau is better as the quarterback dictating from deep. Might complement each other well.
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Next season should be fun watching Pau and Mings battle for the left centre back position and hopefully, Konsa becoming a dedicated right sided centre back.
As we've seen with Longlay and Pau today two left footed CB's can function as a partnership.
Plenty of successful teams have coped with two right footed centre halves in the past.
It might just be that the other qualities Pau and Mings possess can work well together when required. Mings is more comfortable coming out and cutting off opposition moves with a key header or bone-crunching tackle. Pau is better as the quarterback dictating from deep. Might complement each other well.
I guess Emery was looking at 3 x CBs over pre season and we might have gone that way for a while if Mings didn't get injured at Newcastle. But to be honest I don't think any combination of it would have worked really. Mings, in our first season up under Smith, was awful playing in the centre of a back 3 at times. I know he improved a lot since and was outstanding after Emery came in last season. But he is incredibly one sided, turning onto his right side unbalances him. Mings can only play on the left. Torres shifting over to the right would negate his biggest strength. Taking the ball constantly on your weaker foot would mean safer passes. Konsa for me is very average at RB too and I'd hate to even see him attempt LCB. I just never really saw it working.
Torres being able to step into midfield and play those passes on the front and back foot is critical to how we play. For all Mings strengths I think Torres was going to replace him at some point this season and partner Konsa.
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I'm so pleased he's back.
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Mings could play LB in the same way Konsa RB.
That would need a better option than Cash as an attacking RB though.
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Mings could play LB in the same way Konsa RB.
That would need a better option than Cash as an attacking RB though.
I’d think they’d be looking to upgrade Cash anyway, unless KHH develops, irrespective of the possibility of playing Mings at left back on occasions.
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Will we keep Lenglet? I think he has earned a contract.
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Will we keep Lenglet? I think he has earned a contract.
Probably not. 3 left sided cbs seem excessive when mings returns
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I'd like to think that Carlos is replaced and Chambers jettisoned. But I suppose some CB decisions will have to wait until we see what state Mings is in after this long lay-off.
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Aye. A younger development-style right centre back. Who, I have no idea.
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Aye. A younger development-style right centre back. Who, I have no idea.
Josh Feeney hopefully.
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How’s Kerr Smith getting on?
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How’s Kerr Smith getting on?
I've wondered the same, don't hear him mentioned much.
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How’s Kerr Smith getting on?
I've wondered the same, don't hear him mentioned much.
Currently on loan at St Johnstone (sub today against Rangers)
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Lenglet is better than Carlos for me.
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Lenglet is better than Carlos for me.
Yeah, significantly so. Monchi must wince that his 'I Saw You Coming' sale is now his mess to clean up. Maybe someone in Saudi Arabia can look us in the eye and offer a huge sum to take him off our hands.
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Lenglet is better than Carlos for me.
Yeah, significantly so. Monchi must wince that his 'I Saw You Coming' sale is now his mess to clean up. Maybe someone in Saudi Arabia can look us in the eye and offer a huge sum to take him off our hands.
I think that's a bit harsh. Carlos isn't great, but Lenglet looked better yesterday because he had the imperious Torres next to him. Carlos has looked OK next to Torres as well. Both Lenglet and Carlos aren't good enough to play as a pairing next to each other.
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Lenglet is better than Carlos for me.
Yeah, significantly so. Monchi must wince that his 'I Saw You Coming' sale is now his mess to clean up. Maybe someone in Saudi Arabia can look us in the eye and offer a huge sum to take him off our hands.
I think that's a bit harsh. Carlos isn't great, but Lenglet looked better yesterday because he had the imperious Torres next to him. Carlos has looked OK next to Torres as well. Both Lenglet and Carlos aren't good enough to play as a pairing next to each other.
Pau Torres is the level of player top clubs in the CL get to enjoy. That’s the gap from us to the top 3. While it’s always possible we might beat them in a one off game, they have quality in depth that they don’t see a massive drop from their starting players to others in the squad when they rotate or get injuries. Over time, with consistent success and improvement in our commercial revenues we should be able buy better and upgrade the likes of Lenglet, Cash, Carlos etc. to players at the level of Torres.
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With what we paid for Diego Carlos, his profile at the time he joined us (mainstay in one of the best defences in Europe, on the fringes of the Brazil national team) there shouldn't be such a massive drop off in quality.
He was signed to start let's not forget.
But you're right, there is.
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Well, he missed an entire season with a bad injury, then Unai arrived and got Mings and Konsa playing at 100% of their capability every game, and then we signed Torres, so he's never had the opportunity to be first choice. Probably never will do now, either.
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I m thinking Diego Carlos might do it as RB for us, a Kyle Walker type - have pace, muscles, aggression and a long pass. Stupid suggestion probably.
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I’m sorry and I know there is a lot of love for Mings and obviously sympathy after the injury, but Pau is the future and must be the foundation of our defense for the next 5 years. We are a completely different team with him in it, the stats don’t lie. Can he improve defensively? Sure and he could get a little stronger, but my goodness we have a Maldini type player here we need to protect.
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Having Mings back up Torres is a luxury few clubs will have. I don’t think Lenglet stays if Mings is healthy. I can see the right side being upgraded to provide real competition for Konsa. Carlos has played his part but the pace of the PL is sometimes too much for him. And that injury has impacted him and wrecked a full season.
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It might not be an either/or.
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To have Mings available to strategically comeon in game to compound the defence would be a luxury not many teams would have. At 30+ he would understand being a squad player.
Get champs league next season and a fully fit current squad, even without a couple of senior upgrades, and we will have one hell of team.
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I m thinking Diego Carlos might do it as RB for us, a Kyle Walker type - have pace, muscles, aggression and a long pass. Stupid suggestion probably.
I'm not sure he's that quick, is he? Not sure what he was like pre-achilles injury, but he doesn't strike me as particularly fast. Not slow, but certainly not what you'd call particularly pacy.
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I m thinking Diego Carlos might do it as RB for us, a Kyle Walker type - have pace, muscles, aggression and a long pass. Stupid suggestion probably.
I'm not sure he's that quick, is he? Not sure what he was like pre-achilles injury, but he doesn't strike me as particularly fast. Not slow, but certainly not what you'd call particularly pacy.
I don't think he is particularly quick.
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I m thinking Diego Carlos might do it as RB for us, a Kyle Walker type - have pace, muscles, aggression and a long pass. Stupid suggestion probably.
He's let down by his positional sense when playing in his familiar role of CB, so I would imagine he would be 'lost' even more often at RB.
Plus, as others have said, he's not especially quick and has a tendency to make rash challenges in an attempt to dominate his opponent. I think we need an upgrade. UTV.
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Pau is in a different class than the others because he has a far greater technical ability on the ball, he also moves the ball forward far more often and sets up attacks from the back which the others struggle to do
When I say others I mean all of them, Mings Konsa Lenglet and Diego none of them have the ability of Torres, they might a greater presence in physically defending but they are all limited in their ball distribution
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Pau is the one who could legitimately walk into any team in the world, and I genuinely believe that. He is absolute top class and passes better than most midfielders.
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Simply put, Pau Torres is a footballer.
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Simply put, Pau Torres is a footballer.
I mean, that is very simply put.
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Simply put, Pau Torres is a footballer.
I mean, that is very simply put.
That was my intention Monty, I could labour on extolling his ability but why bother? I know what I'm seeing and thoroughly enjoying it. I should have italicised the word footballer.
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Enough blowing smoke up up his arse, has he posted his Paella pics today?
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Torres is a brilliant footballing centre half, he is a joy to watch.
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The only very minor blemish on an outstanding display on Saturday was 2 or 3 times in the second half, we were under the cosh a bit, and he tried little chipped clearances rather than putting his laces through it. They all ended up back with Fulham around our area, which meant the pressure stayed on a bit.
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He doesn't just breed confidence in his fellow defenders he instills it in our support. He's unflappable and while he wasn't back to his empirical best he along with Watkins were our best players Saturday.
Lenglet is better than Carlos for me.
He is. He's more mobile and keeps it simple in the main.
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The only very minor blemish on an outstanding display on Saturday was 2 or 3 times in the second half, we were under the cosh a bit, and he tried little chipped clearances rather than putting his laces through it. They all ended up back with Fulham around our area, which meant the pressure stayed on a bit.
I guess that's the thing about his job - sometimes those out-balls don't go to our guy. On the whole though, having him back, breaking the press with those crossfielders, we looked a different team.
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It almost looked like he mis-kicked them, rather than trying anything fancy. But anyway, a very minor point, which I wouldn't want to distract from his overall display which was excellent.
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Daniel Story called out Pau and was spot on on the Totally Football Show.
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I will say that Torres and Lenglet must be our best centre-back pairing on the ball maybe ever? They'd both have been midfielders 25 years ago.
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Simply put, Pau Torres is a footballer.
I mean, that is very simply put.
That was my intention Monty, I could labour on extolling his ability but why bother? I know what I'm seeing and thoroughly enjoying it. I should have italicised the word footballer.
If you were down with the kids, you'd say he was a 'baller'. Thankfully, you're not.
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Daniel Story called out Pau and was spot on on the Totally Football Show.
Isn't being called-out a bad thing? Maybe his paella isn't up to scratch after all.
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I will say that Torres and Lenglet must be our best centre-back pairing on the ball maybe ever? They'd both have been midfielders 25 years ago.
They'd have both been criticised for 'fannying about' as midfielders 25 years ago.
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I will say that Torres and Lenglet must be our best centre-back pairing on the ball maybe ever? They'd both have been midfielders 25 years ago.
They'd have both been criticised for 'fannying about' as midfielders 25 years ago.
Try 2.5 years ago!
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Daniel Story called out Pau and was spot on on the Totally Football Show.
Isn't being called-out a bad thing? Maybe his paella isn't up to scratch after all.
Well this was certainly very positive.
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Pau Torres is just elegance personified on the ball. Doesn’t seem to feel any pressure and has total confidence in his own ability. You can get at him…if you can get at him. His positioning is very good to protect himself. Whenever I watch him I can’t believe we managed to sign him. And he’s only just turned 27. With his style of defending we could be watching him for years.
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Daniel Story called out Pau and was spot on on the Totally Football Show.
F365 on it too.
Premier League winners and losers:
Pau Torres
Even without the apparent contagious knee deficiency affecting the entire Aston Villa squad, Torres would be their most important player. With it, and the loss of Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Ezri Konsa to such issues, he has become entirely indispensable.
It is no coincidence that Unai Emery’s side have suffered half their overall defeats in the six Premier League games Torres has missed this season. He is that crucial to their approach.
Back in the side against Fulham, the difference was clear. Beyond his unerring composure in defence, the Spaniard brings an air of control and authority Villa otherwise lack. There are precious few defenders better on the ball under pressure and Villa have sorely missed that progressive style.
Emery has been forced into picking more central defensive partnerships than he would have hoped this season; the only choice he has now is between bubble wrap and cotton wool for what he uses to wrap up Torres until May.
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If he stays fit i reckon he’ll get player of the season in his first campaign
Which would be a big achievement as there will be lots of other outstanding candidates
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My only criticisms of him is that he sometimes loses the physical battles and get caught a little flat-footed at times. I can cope with that with the massive benefits he brings to how we play though.
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If he stays fit i reckon he’ll get player of the season in his first campaign
Which would be a big achievement as there will be lots of other outstanding candidates
Pau, Leon & Ollie are probably the 3 front runners.
Ezri and Boubaca would have been in there, too, but their injuries have kissed their chances goodbye.
For me, at the moment, it’s Ollie.
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My only criticisms of him is that he sometimes loses the physical battles and get caught a little flat-footed at times. I can cope with that with the massive benefits he brings to how we play though.
To be honest, I can't remember him getting out-muscled that much recently.
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If he stays fit i reckon he’ll get player of the season in his first campaign
Which would be a big achievement as there will be lots of other outstanding candidates
Pau, Leon & Ollie are probably the 3 front runners.
Ezri and Boubaca would have been in there, too, but their injuries have kissed their chances goodbye.
For me, at the moment, it’s Ollie.
McGinn and Luiz probably aren't out of the conversation either. Shows how good the season has been, in spite of the (comparative) wobbles of the last couple of months.
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If he stays fit i reckon he’ll get player of the season in his first campaign
Which would be a big achievement as there will be lots of other outstanding candidates
Pau, Leon & Ollie are probably the 3 front runners.
Ezri and Boubaca would have been in there, too, but their injuries have kissed their chances goodbye.
For me, at the moment, it’s Ollie.
McGinn and Luiz probably aren't out of the conversation either. Shows how good the season has been, in spite of the (comparative) wobbles of the last couple of months.
Those two and Watkins have been our three best again for me so far. If any of those three were out injured for a number of games then that would be it for CL qualification. McGinn had a flat spot form wise around Xmas and afterwards for a while but playing well again lately. Constantly changing position too. Martinez as always very solid and Torres after he settled has been very strong too.
Bailey has improved hugely but took a good while to get a regular spot in the team to start with. Kamara's form pre injury was a bit mixed at times I thought, Konsa was going very well at CB too, less so at RB. Need him back as his pace is a huge addition.
Think Moreno and Ramsey will be key for us down the final stretch of games. Just starting to get back into their rhythm.
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Leon for me, we all love a good redemption arc.
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My only criticisms of him is that he sometimes loses the physical battles and get caught a little flat-footed at times. I can cope with that with the massive benefits he brings to how we play though.
To be honest, I can't remember him getting out-muscled that much recently.
Yep that was an issue early, but he’s adapted to the league.
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Shows how bloody well we’ve done when no one mentions the World’s number one goalkeeper in a player of the season debate.
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My only criticisms of him is that he sometimes loses the physical battles and get caught a little flat-footed at times. I can cope with that with the massive benefits he brings to how we play though.
To be honest, I can't remember him getting out-muscled that much recently.
Yep that was an issue early, but he’s adapted to the league.
The sheer speed of his adaptation was incredibly impressive. Whereas someone like Bailey took ages to get going, Torres managed it within a handful of games and has performed incredibly consistently. Although Pau arrived from a better league, I suppose.
Anyway, the term gets chucked about with abandon, but he and Martinez really are world-class.
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Torres was also working with Emery before he joined Villa, so it was easier to adapt to his methods.
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McGinn and Luiz probably aren't out of the conversation either. Shows how good the season has been, in spite of the (comparative) wobbles of the last couple of months
It seems a world away when the fans took the piss out of their own club and voted Stephen Ireland as player of the year
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McGinn and Luiz probably aren't out of the conversation either. Shows how good the season has been, in spite of the (comparative) wobbles of the last couple of months
It seems a world away when the fans took the piss out of their own club and voted Stephen Ireland as player of the year
If memory serves, that wasn't an end of season vote - it was just given given to the player who had been named man of the match most often in that season.
The fact that Ireland was that person still doesn't reflect well though.
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A long way to go.
When the going gets tough........
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If he stays fit i reckon he’ll get player of the season in his first campaign
Which would be a big achievement as there will be lots of other outstanding candidates
Pau, Leon & Ollie are probably the 3 front runners.
Ezri and Boubaca would have been in there, too, but their injuries have kissed their chances goodbye.
For me, at the moment, it’s Ollie.
There are indeed a few contenders, which is great, but I agree on Ollie.
Assuming current rates continue (which is a *big* assumption, of course) Ollie will get around 18/20 league goals and, depending on our progress in Europe, would be approaching 30 overall, without runs in either domestic cup (as per usual).
Continuing as he is, he'll be a better-than 1-in-2 striker this season, which Yorke and Benteke each managed once, and that's ignoring assists.
I can't see that going overlooked, myself.
Mods, please feel free to move this to the Watkins thread if you see fit.
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Pau’s supposed lack of physicality is a lot like Paul McGrath’s lack of pace. When you’re that smart a footballer you make up for it with physical positioning and body positioning. He usually a mental step or two ahead of the player he’s up against. The best players just have a way of being better in a profession where they are all really excellent athletes.
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Pau’s supposed lack of physicality is a lot like Paul McGrath’s lack of pace. When you’re that smart a footballer you make up for it with physical positioning and body positioning. He usually a mental step or two ahead of the player he’s up against. The best players just have a way of being better in a profession where they are all really excellent athletes.
Rodri gave an interview a month or two ago, to a Spanish paper, in which he said he'd put on 10 kg since moving to England, as he had to strengthen to adapt to the game, and went on to say that Pau Torres is doing exactly the same.
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They good pals then, Rodri and Pau? He'd better not dare tap him up.
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Pau’s supposed lack of physicality is a lot like Paul McGrath’s lack of pace. When you’re that smart a footballer you make up for it with physical positioning and body positioning. He usually a mental step or two ahead of the player he’s up against. The best players just have a way of being better in a profession where they are all really excellent athletes.
Rodri gave an interview a month or two ago, to a Spanish paper, in which he said he'd put on 10 kg since moving to England, as he had to strengthen to adapt to the game, and went on to say that Pau Torres is doing exactly the same.
In his first few games he got muscled off the ball a few times but he’s clearly worked on it and I reckon it’s a combination of bulking as you mention up but also learning how to deal with those type of players.
I always think that the best players improve those around them and he clearly has that impact both on the way we defend but also in how we build from the back.
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When our centre backs all come back fit do you think he could do a John Stones and move up into mdifield?
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When our centre backs all come back fit do you think he could do a John Stones and move up into mdifield?
Probably, but he's probably better off just being our best centre-back.
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When our centre backs all come back fit do you think he could do a John Stones and move up into mdifield?
no only Pep knows how to do that , how dare you !
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When our centre backs all come back fit do you think he could do a John Stones and move up into mdifield?
Probably, but he's probably better off just being our best centre-back.
He does the two roles in one game anyway.
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Pau’s supposed lack of physicality is a lot like Paul McGrath’s lack of pace. When you’re that smart a footballer you make up for it with physical positioning and body positioning. He usually a mental step or two ahead of the player he’s up against. The best players just have a way of being better in a profession where they are all really excellent athletes.
Rodri gave an interview a month or two ago, to a Spanish paper, in which he said he'd put on 10 kg since moving to England, as he had to strengthen to adapt to the game, and went on to say that Pau Torres is doing exactly the same.
I vaguely remember reading a while back about him looking to put on some lean muscle mass. But with playing all the football he was, which I think included the Olympics, he had lost some weight.
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They good pals then, Rodri and Pau? He'd better not dare tap him up.
Ooh I hope he does.
I'd love to see Rodri sign for us.
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How long before he is linked with a move to a "big.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz" club like Red fucking filth or even laughably Sperms
P lop could be a threat as he is very much like a modern day Hansen they way he strides forward with the ball and i am sure Van Dijk will cry off once Bingo leaves
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Saw this today..
Since promotion back to the Premier League, only on three occasions has an Aston Villa player carried the ball 400 yards or more up the pitch during a single game in the competition.
Once was Jack Grealish in 2019, the other two are Pau Torres.
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Very long pitch.....
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Saw this today..
Since promotion back to the Premier League, only on three occasions has an Aston Villa player carried the ball 400 yards or more up the pitch during a single game in the competition.
Once was Jack Grealish in 2019, the other two are Pau Torres.
The best bit of this is that he's so comfortable on the ball that you don't even really notice just how often he carries it forward, it doesn't feel as special as it should for him to have those numbers because once you've seen him play a few times it's impossble to imagine him not doing it.
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How long before he is linked with a move to a "big.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz" club like Red fucking filth or even laughably Sperms
P lop could be a threat as he is very much like a modern day Hansen they way he strides forward with the ball and i am sure Van Dijk will cry off once Bingo leaves
They all looked at him previously but it was widely reported they had concerns about his lack of athleticism for "our league".
To be honest I shared those and he had some disastrous early performances for us. But I guess sometimes we focus more on what a player can't do rather what they are good at. Torres is an elite level playmaker playing at centre back, he's at least the equal of Luiz with the ball at his feet maybe even better. He is getting physically stronger too, speed on turn will never been his friend but his timing and anticipation are elite.
Happy to proven wrong again!
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Saw this today..
Since promotion back to the Premier League, only on three occasions has an Aston Villa player carried the ball 400 yards or more up the pitch during a single game in the competition.
Once was Jack Grealish in 2019, the other two are Pau Torres.
The Grealish one, probably Watkins goal against Arsenal where their defender bounced off him?
Edit, no, that was 2020. Felt like he ran most of the pitch for that goal.
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If it wasn't for the year I would have thought the Joe one might have been the Liverpool match as he was the one always coming forward with the ball each attack
Might have been Norwich assuming it was a match we attacked alot in.
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Sad thing about Grealish is that he was brilliant running with the ball. Sometimes not in the best areas but he was deceptively strong and quick, elite ball control too. Not that player anymore..
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Love pau what a player. I know they are both left sided cbs but man id love to see pau and mings together as a cb partnership. What a handful they would be
I would have thought that’s highly likely, with Konsa on the right.
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There was an article in the Athletic that looked at what we were doing pre-season, which was Konsa at right back, Mings right-sided centre back and Torres left-sided centre back. But then making a back 3 in possession with Digne (Moreno was injured) pushed forward. So we might see more of that next season.
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It’s the big things he notices that sets our SJM apart
John McGinn on Pau Torres: “When he was injured, he was growing a mullet. He got that trimmed, came back and he’s like a new signing. Different class. It’s not until you watch the game back you realise the impact he has on other players.
"He’s one step ahead in the brain."
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Pau off at half time, please not another fucking injury.
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Pau off at half time, please not another fucking injury.
This by 1000
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Worrying
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Pretty sure it was precautionary. Might have always been the plan as he watched from the bench.
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Yeah im hoping its precautionary and to give chambers some game time as he will need it.
Man hopefully konsa and carlos are back soon. Once those two come back we can afford to rotate pau
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Emery said yesterday that today's game came too soon but he he is back in training so he should be in contention to start next week.
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Please don't be injured
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On Pau Torres, who was taken off at half-time: "He had some pain so that's why we needed to change him."
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Surely we deserve some good news with injuries and he’s ok. I pray they don’t say a few weeks because we all know what that means.
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Hope he doesn't have an injury again and that it was a precautionary substitution.
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The best since McGrath
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Pau Torres will have scan after struggling with a "small pain" at the back of his leg in the first half of Aston Villa's win over Nottingham Forest.
He was replaced by Calum Chambers only as a precaution and Unai Emery isn't too concerned.
https://x.com/johntownley11/status/1761450041716113516?s=46
See you in August Pau.
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“Small pain” was how Brentford was described wasn’t it? Please be nothing.
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😩 FFS.
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He said it wasnt a new injury just a precaution
With our injury list wise move i think.
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Yep - I think he’s fine.
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I imagine every player comes off the pitch with a small pain.
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“Small pain” was how Brentford was described wasn’t it? Please be nothing.
I hope it's nothing but.....
We will need him badly at home to Spurs.
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Going to Luton with Chambers/Lenglet as a CB partnership it looks like. Not sure any PL club is down to their 5th and 6th choices but to be fair to Lenglet, he is performing a lot better than I expected he would.
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Why do you need a scan if it’s just a precaution?
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TBF, Lenglet has played regularly at the top Spanish team and in the Champions League, so it isn't like we were getting an unknown person from Sarkovia. However his first League* games was with Torres injured. So I expect having to get used to the Prem pace and how we play suddenly in the last 9 games hasn't been the best intro. Same with Torres not looking like a good "strong" defender after being thrown in when Mings was injured.
*I'm aware he played for Spurs last season, but that was 7 months gap in league games and different styles.
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Why do you need a scan if it’s just a precaution?
He reported a pain at half time but could have played on. We took him off as a precaution and want a scan to see if anything unforeseen might be causing the pain.
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Fair enough - just for once let it be nothing, and hopefully he’s just a bit of edge after the recent injury.
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BTW< I'm not stating don't worry, just mentioning an entirely innocent reason a scan might be requested. I'm sure the scan will indicate the leg has fallen off on Monday.
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It's a shame Villa don't use the hospital for scans my wife works at. Blues and Walsall do.Villa are Priory Edgbaston.
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It's a shame Villa don't use the hospital for scans my wife works at. Blues and Walsall do.Villa are Priory Edgbaston.
Doesn't sound like a sweeping endorsement.
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Why do you need a scan if it’s just a precaution?
Yes exactly. I had a bit of pain in my heel walking to the ground but I have turned down my own request fo a scan. i am going to sleep it off and he should do the same, elite athlete or not! ;D
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. I had a bit of pain in my heel walking to the ground but I have turned down my own request fo a scan. i am going to sleep it off and he should do the same, elite athlete or not! ;D
(https://i.imgflip.com/1iwc8x.jpg)
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Why do you need a scan if it’s just a precaution?
I'm pretty sure every player has a scan of some sort after every game they play. Probably after every training session as well.
If they report any sort of discomfort they probably have about six of them as standard.
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Fair enough, just my anxiety speaking!
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Hang on, Lenglet used to play for Spurs?!
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Hang on, Lenglet used to play for Spurs?!
He was on loan with them last season.
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The best since McGrath
Laursen / Mellberg?
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The best since McGrath
Laursen / Mellberg?
I think Pau is a better footballer than Laursen and Mellberg but if terms of being defenders the gap is much closer.
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He came over to the bench about 10 minutes before half time pointing at his thigh, so on the plus side at least this likely long term injury is a different one
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I think as a defender Torres isn’t in the same league as them and as a ball playing defender they’re not in the same league as Torres.
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I think as a defender Torres isn’t in the same league as them and as a ball playing defender they’re not in the same league as Torres.
I think we should credit him for his ability to lead the back line. It’s not just his ball playing that is important. When he’s not there we just aren’t as organized. Everyone looks more assured when he’s playing.
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Pau HAS to stay fit for the rest of the season.
If he does, we finish in the top 4, it’s as simple as that.
I should learn to keep my mouth shut !
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I think as a defender Torres isn’t in the same league as them and as a ball playing defender they’re not in the same league as Torres.
I think we should credit him for his ability to lead the back line. It’s not just his ball playing that is important. When he’s not there we just aren’t as organized. Everyone looks more assured when he’s playing.
Yep and I think this idea that he’s not a good defender is just nonsense. He just isn’t a blood and thunder type player, his style is more assured.
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I heard an insane statistic the other day - without Torres our league win ratio is 25%, with him it is 75%*
* might have imagined this whole thing
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I heard an insane statistic the other day - without Torres our league win ratio is 25%, with him it is 75%*
* might have imagined this whole thing
Also, we concede one goal a game on average with him, average about two without. He controls the tempo of games so much more when he’s playing and he calms the whole thing down as a traditional defender and then stepping into a defensive midfield position.
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How long is Carlos out for?
No Torres, no Konsa, no Carlos, no Chambers.... who plays against Ajax?
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How long is Carlos out for?
No Torres, no Konsa, no Carlos, no Chambers.... who plays against Ajax?
I would say Torres and Konsa (unless Unai rests them for Spurs).
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How long is Carlos out for?
No Torres, no Konsa, no Carlos, no Chambers.... who plays against Ajax?
I would say Torres and Konsa (unless Unai rests them for Spurs).
I'm talking worst case scenario, which is why I said no Torres, no Konsa....
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How long is Carlos out for?
No Torres, no Konsa, no Carlos, no Chambers.... who plays against Ajax?
I would say Torres and Konsa (unless Unai rests them for Spurs).
I'm talking worst case scenario, which is why I said no Torres, no Konsa....
And I'm talking about the likely scenario. Worst case scenario would be the team's jet crashing on the way to Amsterdam.
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How long is Carlos out for?
No Torres, no Konsa, no Carlos, no Chambers.... who plays against Ajax?
I would say Torres and Konsa (unless Unai rests them for Spurs).
I'm talking worst case scenario, which is why I said no Torres, no Konsa....
And I'm talking about the likely scenario. Worst case scenario would be the team's jet crashing on the way to Amsterdam.
You're being stupid. The players I listed are all currently injured or a worry. Given our luck this season it's entirely possible they're all still out in a few weeks, and Chambers isn't in the squad.
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You're being stupid. The players I listed are all currently injured or a worry. Given our luck this season it's entirely possible they're all still out in a few weeks, and Chambers isn't in the squad.
Not really, given Unai's comments pre and post-match, I'm relaxed about Konsa and Torres being available in 12 days' time.
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You're being stupid. The players I listed are all currently injured or a worry. Given our luck this season it's entirely possible they're all still out in a few weeks, and Chambers isn't in the squad.
Not really, given Unai's comments pre and post-match, I'm relaxed about Konsa and Torres being available in 12 days' time.
I certainly hope you're right, but it's still a precarious situation we've found ourselves in. Carlos is out for 3 to 4 weeks, to answer my own question.
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You're being stupid. The players I listed are all currently injured or a worry. Given our luck this season it's entirely possible they're all still out in a few weeks, and Chambers isn't in the squad.
Not really, given Unai's comments pre and post-match, I'm relaxed about Konsa and Torres being available in 12 days' time.
I certainly hope you're right, but it's still a precarious situation we've found ourselves in. Carlos is out for 3 to 4 weeks, to answer my own question.
I'm a believer, mate!
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Come on a chairde, everything will be ok.
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I think as a defender Torres isn’t in the same league as them and as a ball playing defender they’re not in the same league as Torres.
I think we should credit him for his ability to lead the back line. It’s not just his ball playing that is important. When he’s not there we just aren’t as organized. Everyone looks more assured when he’s playing.
Yep, that is very noticeable. I hope him and Konsa can re-unite their partnership soon.
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Come on a chairde, everything will be ok.
Pura vida, amigo.
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I think we might have to nurse him through to the end of the season.
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If he needs recuperation during the close season it may be best that he doesn't get included in Spain's squad for the Euros.
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I think as a defender Torres isn’t in the same league as them and as a ball playing defender they’re not in the same league as Torres.
I think we should credit him for his ability to lead the back line. It’s not just his ball playing that is important. When he’s not there we just aren’t as organized. Everyone looks more assured when he’s playing.
Yep and I think this idea that he’s not a good defender is just nonsense. He just isn’t a blood and thunder type player, his style is more assured.
He certainly is a good defender and his style or skill set suits the way we play. I just think having played about 20 games to put him in the ‘best since McGrath’ category is a bit premature, which was what I commented on originally. Since God, I’d but the two Scandinavians ahead of Torres at the moment.
It’s pretty clear that when he’s in the team we’re a completely different prospect, so fingers crossed he’s not out again for any length of time.
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The best since McGrath
Laursen / Mellberg?
I remember them.
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Would Southgate be in that mix too?
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I heard an insane statistic the other day - without Torres our league win ratio is 25%, with him it is 75%*
* might have imagined this whole thing
I read that too, crazy stat. Decent piece on him.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11095/13078167/pau-torres-exclusive-interview-aston-villa-defender-confident-of-achieving-big-things-under-unai-emery
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Didn’t we have very similar stats for when we missed Mings?
Not that I’m taking anything away from Torres who is such an important cog in the way we play, but removing a player of this quality is something we can’t deal with.
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Yeah it was similar. We still miss Mings defending corners, his head was a magnet for the ball. We're up with the worst in the league for goals conceded from corners.
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Would Southgate be in that mix too?
Not even close.
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As much as I loathe Horseface as England manager, he was brilliant for us.
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I agree with Risso.
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As much as I loathe Horseface as England manager, he was brilliant for us.
What the hell have you got against horses? :P
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As much as I loathe Horseface as England manager, he was brilliant for us.
What the hell have you got against horses? :P
I had something against a horse once. Six months later I was out, with certain conditions attached.
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Is that why they nick name you Hay-cock?
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Yeah it was similar. We still miss Mings defending corners, his head was a magnet for the ball. We're up with the worst in the league for goals conceded from corners.
We have no CH who gets close to his ability to clear crosses so emphatically. Yes, we miss him greatly in that sense.
When all are fit again. Pau, Konsa and Mings as a back 3 for me with Cash making way.
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Is that why they nick name you Hay-cock?
No. It's why they nickname me Beast. That's if nicknames are what people write on the front door of your bedsit.
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As much as I loathe Horseface as England manager, he was brilliant for us.
What the hell have you got against horses? :P
I had something against a horse once. Six months later I was out, with certain conditions attached.
Was that before or after you entered a dog at Crufts?
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Is that why they nick name you Hay-cock?
No. It's why they nickname me Beast. That's if nicknames are what people write on the front door of your bedsit.
That might have been on the door, but was iality on the frame
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Just behind The Nest in Norwich. Plenty of "craic" was had, apparently.
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Just behind The Nest in Norwich. Plenty of "craic" was had, apparently.
Now that's niche!
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He certainly is a good defender and his style or skill set suits the way we play. I just think having played about 20 games to put him in the ‘best since McGrath’ category is a bit premature, which was what I commented on originally. Since God, I’d but the two Scandinavians ahead of Torres at the moment.
It’s pretty clear that when he’s in the team we’re a completely different prospect, so fingers crossed he’s not out again for any length of time.
Nah, I don’t reckon Okore or Augustinsson were as good as Torres.
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He certainly is a good defender and his style or skill set suits the way we play. I just think having played about 20 games to put him in the ‘best since McGrath’ category is a bit premature, which was what I commented on originally. Since God, I’d but the two Scandinavians ahead of Torres at the moment.
It’s pretty clear that when he’s in the team we’re a completely different prospect, so fingers crossed he’s not out again for any length of time.
Nah, I don’t reckon Okore or Augustinsson were as good as Torres.
You’re just being stupid now, we’re talking about central defenders, Ludwig is a left back 😉
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So he's all fine and will be fit for Luton and there's nothing to worry about, right?... Right?
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So he's all fine and will be fit for Luton and there's nothing to worry about, right?... Right?
Sorry, he's in a full body brace and might make it back for 2026/7.
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We are “cautiously optimistic” he’ll be fit for Luton. Going to be assessed later in the week.
RIP Pau.
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Everyone making the same joke every single time a player is injured are pretty tedious to read
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Everyone making the same joke every single time a player is injured are pretty tedious to read
They could repeat it on every ad infinitum and it still wouldn't be as tedious as the crest review thread.
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Everyone making the same joke every single time a player is injured are pretty tedious to read
They could repeat it on every ad infinitum and it still wouldn't be as tedious as the crest review thread.
Preach!
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Everyone making the same joke every single time a player is injured are pretty tedious to read
They could repeat it on every ad infinitum and it still wouldn't be as tedious as the crest review thread.
Or the VAR thread.
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I consider Crest Review and Villa Park Redevelopment to be no-man's land.
I'd fear for my soul (and my sanity) if I set foot in them again.
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I'd like to complain that since we ditched the North Stand, MotD hasn't mentioned our badge once and it hasn't even been checked at Stockley Park. Imagine if it was a Sky 6 logobranding...
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I'd like to complain that since we ditched the North Stand, MotD hasn't mentioned our badge once and it hasn't even been checked at Stockley Park. Imagine if it was a Sky 6 logobranding...
Made me laugh.
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I consider Crest Review and Villa Park Redevelopment to be no-man's land.
I'd fear for my soul (and my sanity) if I set foot in them again.
Like 'The Nine Billion Names of God', I reckon another handful of designs will lead to the end of the universe.
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I consider Crest Review and Villa Park Redevelopment to be no-man's land.
I'd fear for my soul (and my sanity) if I set foot in them again.
Like 'The one Billion Names of God', I reckon another handful of designs will lead to the end of the universe.
I wondered why I saw the stars blinking out last night.
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Christ knows how that ended up 'one' and not 'nine'!
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I'm no graphic designer, but here's what I think...
I'm no accountant, but here's what I think...
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Christ knows how that ended up 'one' and not 'nine'!
I'm no IT specialist, but here's what I think...the autocorrect on H&V seems a lot more 'proactive' recently.
For all I know, that might be due to my web browser though.
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I'm no graphic designer, but here's what I think...
I'm no accountant, but here's what I think...
I'm no manager, but here's what I think....
I'm no referee, but here's what I think....
I'm no pundit, but here's what I think....
I am a fan though, and I like to have an opinion....
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I'm no graphic designer, but here's what I think...
I'm no accountant, but here's what I think...
I'm no manager, but here's what I think....
I'm no referee, but here's what I think....
I'm no pundit, but here's what I think....
I am a fan though, and I like to have an opinion....
I get it, and I do too. But accountancy and graphic design are pretty niche things that you actually have to understand before you have an opinion. I have no problem with calling the badge shit or Coutinho a waste of money, it's the cosplaying that gets on my tits.
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Most "autocorrect" is not HandV but your browser/phone. There are word filter for certain phrases though.
- plop becomes 'The Mighty Reds YNWA'.
- the c word becomes ******. (it used to be cnut but now the asterisks)
- there was a phrase that was something to do with TOD / Theatre of Dreams.
The simple reason why LeeB's phone sent 'one' instead of 'nine' is because he can't spell 'nine' but wrote 'ine'.
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I'm no graphic designer, but here's what I think...
I'm no accountant, but here's what I think...
I'm no manager, but here's what I think....
I'm no referee, but here's what I think....
I'm no pundit, but here's what I think....
I am a fan though, and I like to have an opinion....
I get it, and I do too. But accountancy and graphic design are pretty niche things that you actually have to understand before you have an opinion. I have no problem with calling the badge shit or Coutinho a waste of money, it's the cosplaying that gets on my tits.
cosplaying and tits... probably a NSFW search that one...
I do know what you mean, but without it, we'd never have 'the hippo'..... so yes, I back you.
I think the accountancy bit, or opinions on some numbers are fine, but the whole crest and kit thing is a completely pointless exercise.
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In a very old version of H&V, if you typed "training" you got a picture of Dwight Yorke erm, 'wrestling' with Mark Bosnich.
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Everyone making the same joke every single time a player is injured are pretty tedious to read
Tough crowd.
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Tell you what’s worse than the crest thread. The new kits thread every summer when people are bored and start doing mock ups. STOP IT.
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Everyone making the same joke every single time a player is injured are pretty tedious to read
Tough crowd.
Also, overlooks the fact that the same joke repeated over and over forms about 90% of this message board’s reason for existence.
In fact, thinking about it, that goes for the rest of the internet too.
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Why didn't Barry take the penalty?
Sherlock Street
How's Joe doing and Citeh?
African car reverser
Ads and Risso last Tories standing
SHA
SUE
SGT
God
over reaction on the OGT
...and a punathon
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Tell you what’s worse than the crest thread. The new kits thread every summer when people are bored and start doing mock ups. STOP IT.
And anyone using AI to create their ideal Villa Park can get in Stechford Lido too.
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Tell you what’s worse than the crest thread. The new kits thread every summer when people are bored and start doing mock ups. STOP IT.
But it's the only time Marshall shows-up!
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Tell you what’s worse than the crest thread. The new kits thread every summer when people are bored and start doing mock ups. STOP IT.
And anyone using AI to create their ideal Villa Park can get in Stechford Lido too.
Yes, use AI to draw yourself a big fucking bin full of liquid dog shit, then jump head first into it.
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Tell you what’s worse than the crest thread. The new kits thread every summer when people are bored and start doing mock ups. STOP IT.
This
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Emery says "It’s a different problem [to the injury he suffered in December], he is progressively getting better and I will include him in the squad, but I don’t know if he will be available, without risk."
Probably won't start tomorrow but sounds hopeful for Ajax/Spurs.
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Love you Pau, but can you stop getting bloody “problems”.
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I’d forget the Ajax game. Keep him for Spurs.
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It's been a bit intense on here since the weekend, so perhaps this will lighten the mood a little. My schoolboy nephew grabbed himself a selfie today when he bumped into Pau in... B&M. Well, I suppose you don't get rich by spending it!
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Every time I see a player's thread - especially this player - as being commented on, i immediately feel my stomach churn and think when i read it, I'm going to see said player has fucked his hamstring or snapped his head off in training or some such injury.
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It's been a bit intense on here since the weekend, so perhaps this will lighten the mood a little. My schoolboy nephew grabbed himself a selfie today when he bumped into Pau in... B&M.
Bertie probably told him it was the go-to place in Brum for home decor.
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It's been a bit intense on here since the weekend, so perhaps this will lighten the mood a little. My schoolboy nephew grabbed himself a selfie today when he bumped into Pau in... B&M. Well, I suppose you don't get rich by spending it!
Ha! You'd think he'd be able to stretch to Asda Minworth.
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Anyone know why he didn’t start tonight? Being rested for Brighton royally backfired
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Anyone know why he didn’t start tonight? Being rested for Brighton royally backfired
Might not have been rested solely for Brighton, ie slight niggle so they didn't want him potentially playing a full 90 and making it worse. A few days extra days rest and it heals up.
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Anyone know why he didn’t start tonight? Being rested for Brighton royally backfired
May we’ll be, but can’t that only be decided after the Brighton game?
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Anyone know why he didn’t start tonight? Being rested for Brighton royally backfired
May we’ll be, but can’t that only be decided after the Brighton game?
Well not really, we've just been absolutely shafted tonight.
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I think this could be the occasion for Pau to score this evening.
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Left out of the Spain squad????? How does that work
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Is he injured?
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Left out of the Spain squad????? How does that work
Hasn't been the same since he came back from his mid-season injury. Get him recovered, rested, and ready for next season.
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Left out of the Spain squad????? How does that work
Hasn't been the same since he came back from his mid-season injury. Get him recovered, rested, and ready for next season.
Agreed, he really seemed in need of a good break towards the end of the season. Though to be fair, picking Laporte from the Saudi league over Torres does seem ridiculous.
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Who else has got in ahead of him?
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The defensive part of his game went completely to pot for the last few months, so yes agree he needs a rest and he can come back fitter and stronger for next season. Very important to how we play as a team but he does need to improve defensively.
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Left out of the Spain squad????? How does that work
Thats great for us. Gives him more time to recover over the summer.
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I did think he was one of the many who looked very tired toward the end of the season, he's earned a break, then a few weeks in the gym getting a little bigger and stronger for next year.
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There was an article a while ago about how he had lost weight because he had had several years of football without having a proper break.
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Wasn't he talking about needing to put weight on in England?
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There was an article a while ago about how he had lost weight because he had had several years of football without having a proper break.
There was also an interview during one of the winter international breaks where he said he was on a specially designed programme at Villa to help him bulk up without losing mobility. I guess it's a balancing act. Hopefully a summer off will do him good.
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Wasn't he talking about needing to put weight on in England?
Yeah, I remember that.
I think he was working on it earlier in the season to cope with the physicality of the Premier League.
I think we assume that at 6'3", he should automatically be able to cope with that side of the game, but playing in Spain all his life, I don't imagine he has faced it on as regular basis as he will in England.
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He said something along the lines of you need an extra 10kg in weight to deal with the physical demands of the Premier League. Even with finely tuned elite athletes and a programme designed to do that in the right way that will effect his mobility so hopefully a good rest and pre season we’ll have a fit and raring to go Pau back. With the ability next season to rotate Pau and Tyrone’s minutes we can hopefully manage both their workloads to get maximum benefit.
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He certainly had some sort of issue in the run in otherwise we wouldn't have been resting him for the Man. City and Olympiakos games.
Pretty good for us that him and Bailey will be resting up for the next six weeks as those two really looked out on their feet in the final few weeks and we know they're top quality when 100%.
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I think there was an interview with Rodri, who mentioned Pau having to add weight to play in England.
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Sad for him , but pleased for us. Have a relaxing and restful break Pau. Come back raring to go.
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Wasn't he talking about needing to put weight on in England?
If he needs any tips, I find this to be a piece of piss.
Few pints every day, full-Engerlish, curry with naan AND rice, fried food at regular intervals...
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Wasn't he talking about needing to put weight on in England?
If he needs any tips, I find this to be a piece of piss.
Needs to swap out that health-food paella nonsense for a double helping of cassoulet.
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Wasn't he talking about needing to put weight on in England?
If he needs any tips, I find this to be a piece of piss.
Needs to swap out that health-food paella nonsense for a double helping of cassoulet.
Jamón with everything.
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Wasn't he talking about needing to put weight on in England?
If he needs any tips, I find this to be a piece of piss.
Needs to swap out that health-food paella nonsense for a double helping of cassoulet.
Jamón with everything.
Bring back the red sauce!
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I see Pau and his wife are expecting a baby. Good news for them. Will possibly mean he's missing for a couple of weeks somewhere down the line. Donk was out for ages last year.
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It didn’t matter about Donk.
It matters about Pau.
He won’t miss a couple of weeks at all.
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I see Pau and his wife are expecting a baby. Good news for them.
That's why he's called Pau.
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It's great news Pau and his partner are expecting a baby.
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The poor babby. Liquidised paella straight down the gullet as soon as poss if Pau has his way.
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I see Pau and his wife are expecting a baby. Good news for them.
That's why he's called Pau.
And now there’s a pao in the oven.
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First game season and Pau Torres was great today on the ball and building play. Defensively pretty solid and just such a classy player
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Shades of Beckenbauer , when he strolls down the pitch with the ball at his feet.
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He’s a very classy player and he’s top class, I think some forgot that when he was a bit out of form.
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He’s a very classy player and he’s top class, I think some forgot that when he was a bit out of form.
I think he was carrying an injury in the latter part of last season, I also think the physicality of the premier league caught up with him a bit. Hopefully he is better prepared for the slog this time around has been working out in the gym a little, too.
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How many centre backs in world football would have even seen that pass yesterday let alone execute it like that?
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Back to his best yesterday. His first touch is elite. Will be tougher days defensively, mind. Antonio ain't half stealing a living playing PL football these days.
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Not seen on any footage on media but his little shuffle, drop of the shoulder run through thier press was a thing of beauty
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That run from our box to theirs in the first half was elite elegance.
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Not the best centre half that we have, but his football ability is fantastic, and he is integral to how Unai wants us to play.
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Not the best centre half that we have, but his football ability is fantastic, and he is integral to how Unai wants us to play.
The match today summed this up in many ways.
Calvert Lewin gave him a torrid time.
But oh my Pau starting attacks , switching play and passing the ball forward into midfield and beyond as well as how he comes forward with the ball is magnificent.
It'll be interesting to see how he copes with Harry Kane in a few weeks v Bayern Munich I couldn't stop thinking about that game when saw him against Calvert Lewin today.
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Would Torres lose his best bits if he bulked up a stone of muscle?
My guess is no, as he’s not required to run massive distances. Even Rhodri said he had to bulk up to compete in the PL and it should be easier and more beneficial as a CB.
Seems a no brainer to me.
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Torres did an interview last season during one of the international breaks where he said he was on a training program at Villa to help him bulk up a bit without losing any of his flexibility or movement or whatever you call it. I'm sure that was quite early on in the season. I wonder if there's any difference been made, if you were to look at him then vs now?
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Torres did an interview last season during one of the international breaks where he said he was on a training program at Villa to help him bulk up a bit without losing any of his flexibility or movement or whatever you call it. I'm sure that was quite early on in the season. I wonder if there's any difference been made, if you were to look at him then vs now?
I can't see that it's made much of a difference on the pitch.
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Thought some of his decision making was poor yesterday. Usually him slowing play feels like it helps the team to compose themselves more, but he just delayed too long. Plus I wish someone would introduce him to Digne.
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He looks brittle at times against physicality, DCL bullied him a few times yesterday. But then you see what he offers with the ball at his feet.
Tyrone was much-missed yesterday, he would have enjoyed the tussles with Calvert-Lewin.
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Thought some of his decision making was poor yesterday. Usually him slowing play feels like it helps the team to compose themselves more, but he just delayed too long. Plus I wish someone would introduce him to Digne.
We were far too slow at times yesterday. Gave them loads of time to reset their shape.
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Thought some of his decision making was poor yesterday. Usually him slowing play feels like it helps the team to compose themselves more, but he just delayed too long. Plus I wish someone would introduce him to Digne.
We were far too slow at times yesterday. Gave them loads of time to reset their shape.
I think part of that was Torres but the movement ahead of him was not great and Everton were able to close space until they ran out of legs.
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Not the best centre half that we have, but his football ability is fantastic, and he is integral to how Unai wants us to play.
We hardly played out from the back at all yesterday because Everton just didnt press at all but sat back and just let us play in front of them. Pau Ts game is more suited to teams that try and press, his passing and composure is first class for a CB.
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Nice passer of the ball but weak physically and either needs a meathead next to him, or he drops out if and when Mings is back up to scratch. He's decent is Torres but him and Konsa don't seem as strong. as Mings and Konsa.
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Mings/Konsa is the best CB partnership at the club, though Torres is class bringing the ball out and picking passes
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Thought some of his decision making was poor yesterday. Usually him slowing play feels like it helps the team to compose themselves more, but he just delayed too long. Plus I wish someone would introduce him to Digne.
We were far too slow at times yesterday. Gave them loads of time to reset their shape.
Reset their shape? They never committed either full back or either centre mid into our half, there was nothing to reset to get their 6 man defensive wall in place. Look at the average positions on here - https://www.sofascore.com/football/match/everton-aston-villa/PY#id:12436933 - it looks like there's some shape because Young swapped sides but that's about the most defensive I've ever seen that graphic look against us.
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Be interesting to know our win/loss record when he plays vs when he doesn't, but also our goals for and against.
I'd guess we win more with him playing, but also concede more. Actually, rather than guess I've attempted to do a footy and put some stats out there.
Last season with him starting.
Wins: 16
Draws: 6
Losses: 10
Scored a total of 48 goals in the matches where Pau Torres started.
Conceded 31 goals in the matches where Pau Torres started.
Kept 10 clean sheets.
Did not start in 6 matches. W2 D2 L2.
In those games, Aston Villa scored a total of 13 goals. Kept 2 clean sheets.
Aston Villa conceded 15 goals in the 6 matches where Pau Torres did not start.
Passing off AI as my own in depth research. Which having checked, looks wrong anyway, thanks for reading 😂 :)
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That performance tonight demonstrates why he is top class. A colossus in defence and then the pass to Duran is just ridiculously perfect. There is no doubt he is magnificent.
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That performance tonight demonstrates why he is top class. A colossus in defence and then the pass to Duran is just ridiculously perfect. There is no doubt he is magnificent.
The better the opposition the better he plays. Seemingly
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His ability on the ball is something else. Don’t think we’ve ever had a better passer of the ball from defence.
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Beautiful finish as well. Did all the bits that he needed to do for a brilliant goal, a brilliant assist and a flawless defensive performance.
Probably his best performance for us.
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His ability on the ball is something else. Don’t think we’ve ever had a better passer of the ball from defence.
Except for Paul McGrath.
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His ability on the ball is something else. Don’t think we’ve ever had a better passer of the ball from defence.
Except for Paul McGrath.
Not sure he had the range of long passing that Pau does. Obviously a better all round defender.
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Mings/Konsa is the best CB partnership at the club, though Torres is class bringing the ball out and picking passes
Torres proved it’s him plus another.
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Shame his goal didn't stand. Has his wife had their baby? He was sucking his thumb when celebrating.
Edit - to answer my own question, yes, baby Lucia born 9/9. No paternity leave for Pau, I guess.
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He was exceptional, my word he was good. Definitely earned that paella tonight (and I sincerely hope 'paella' is a euphemism).
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He is absolutely superb, I love watching him play.
He's like a quarterback, he is so instrumental in how we attack. Such a cultured player.
His ball for our goal tonight was absolutely perfect.
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Absolutely but tonight it was his defensive play that really stood out. A superb performance.
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Absolutely but tonight it was his defensive play that really stood out. A superb performance.
His defending is getting better, absolutely.
He's a fabulous footballer... intelligent, skilful, an artist on the pitch!
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He is the best passer of the ball in Europe
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Wonderful, simply wonderful.
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Utter class from start to finish.
These are the nights we signed him for.
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These are the things that dreams are made of.
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I love pau !
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He was exceptional, my word he was good. Definitely earned that paella tonight (and I sincerely hope 'paella' is a euphemism).
His wife gave birth 2 weeks ago, so if paella is a euphemism, it's a euphemism for a 2am feed.
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Pau is just a top class footballer, not the greatest defender but wonderful to watch when he has the ball at his feet.
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He was exceptional, my word he was good. Definitely earned that paella tonight (and I sincerely hope 'paella' is a euphemism).
His wife gave birth 2 weeks ago, so if paella is a euphemism, it's a euphemism for a 2am feed.
Yeah forgot about the kid. I hope uneuphemistically that she's sleeping well and getting enough protein!
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These are the things that dreams are made of.
An insubstantial pageant faded, leaving not a wrack behind?
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He certainly left his early-season performances behind. This is the 'rolls-royce' I thought we'd bought. A class act, alongside a rejuvenated Carlos. And that despite Bayern's constant high press.
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These are the things that dreams are made of.
An insubstantial pageant faded, leaving not a wrack behind?
I was thinking more of Norman Wisdom & Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee but sure!
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These are the things that dreams are made of.
An insubstantial pageant faded, leaving not a wrack behind?
Was that written in the aftermath of Pype Hayes bonfire?
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These are the things that dreams are made of.
Everybody needs love and adventure.
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These are the things that dreams are made of.
An insubstantial pageant faded, leaving not a wrack behind?
I was thinking more of Norman Wisdom & Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee but sure!
Ah right, fair. I was thinking more local.
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Aston Villa defender Pau Torres is a target for Manchester United, who are prepared to offer close to £42m for the 27-year-old Spain defender. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
That's how you know he played a blinder on Wednesday.
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Everything about that is laughable.
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They’d have to double it for it even be considered, even then I imagine Emery, when it was mentioned, would just raise an eyebrow and have a quiet laugh before turning back to analysis of some team we might possibly face in a few months time.
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Back in the day we would have been crapping ourselves knowing it would happen
Today ( I hope) we can laugh it off, as they want, everybody.
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Aston Villa defender Pau Torres is a target for Manchester United, who are prepared to offer close to £42m for the 27-year-old Spain defender. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
That's how you know he played a blinder on Wednesday.
£42M?!? What is this, April 1st? You can whack that price right up.
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Haha.
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When I saw that I genuinely laughed out loud. What imbecile actually thought this could be a deal.
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Wow, what a shock !!
On the very day we play them too.
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They could have at least made it appear more believable.
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They’d have to double it for it even be considered, even then I imagine Emery, when it was mentioned, would just raise an eyebrow and have a quiet laugh before turning back to analysis of some team we might possibly face in a few months time.
That made me laugh far more than it should have done!
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Torres and Martinez are the 2 players we have that could start in any team in the world
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Even just the fact that Torres left the club he'd been at for his whole life, to join Emery specifically, rather than Aston Villa, or a team in the Premier League, makes the whole thing sound ridiculous. Never mind the price, or the fact they're shit.
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Well I never, a story that Manchester United want to buy/unsettle one of our players on the very day we play them. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
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Aston Villa defender Pau Torres is a target for Manchester United, who are prepared to offer close to £42m for the 27-year-old Spain defender. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
That's how you know he played a blinder on Wednesday.
Yeah. He'll be a key component of the Gareth Southgate/Thomas Frank rebuilding job there.
Torres plays a different sport to the joyless dirge that pair serve up.
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Poor showing for Fulham goal
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God bailey ffs
What a stupid yellow
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Pau is a classy, stylish, ball-playing defender with a great eye for a pass but he struggles with the physical side of the game. Any striker who puts himself about is likely to get the better of Pau. We've seen it a few times this season already.
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There is clearly a trade off with Torres. Quality on the ball for occasionally suspect defending.
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Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal."
Unai sees what we see. And Pau did play a lot better after. Pau for me is a brilliant defender in European competition because the physicality isn’t as evident. It’s much more a technical requirement and he’s don’t so well in both games. Mings in certain games should be used instead of him. Pau of course is outstanding in bringing the ball out. Right now we have 4 really good options at CB with Diego finding some form.
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There is clearly a trade off with Torres. Quality on the ball for occasionally suspect defending.
Yeah, lack of strength (although Rodri said not that long ago that he put a ton of bulk on when he came here, and that he could see Pau Torres having to do the same), but then you get shit like a ball that doesn't just split the defence, it splits the entire team for Duran's goal against Bayern, and it's far from the first time he's done that.
I acknowledge his weaknesses, but he's a fantastic footballer.
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Yeah, 'good on the ball' doesn't nearly cover how important he is to our game.
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Just a bit. He’s essential, doesn’t mean he won’t make mistakes. But he’s a brilliant player.
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In fairness after the early mistake he didn't put a foot wrong .
Traore was kept very quiet today .
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Yeah, 'good on the ball' doesn't nearly cover how important he is to our game.
You could argue I was being generous with "occasionally suspect" too. I like Torres a lot, but didn't want to be sensationalist either way. There's enough of that about these days.
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Even with the mistake i thought after that he was very good as was carlos
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Wonder if more teams will try that over the top ball now against us
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Plenty already are - Everton was a good example. Ironically, the same or a similar tactic to that which we used against Bayern.
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There is clearly a trade off with Torres. Quality on the ball for occasionally suspect defending.
Yeah, lack of strength (although Rodri said not that long ago that he put a ton of bulk on when he came here, and that he could see Pau Torres having to do the same), but then you get shit like a ball that doesn't just split the defence, it splits the entire team for Duran's goal against Bayern, and it's far from the first time he's done that.
I acknowledge his weaknesses, but he's a fantastic footballer.
Spot on.
I said to some friends over a half time pint during the Bayern game, that Torres looked completely at home in that company. He’s just a brilliant footballer and a defender the likes of which we have never probably seen. Not saying he’s the best defender we’ve had aka God, but we i have never seen a ball playing CB like him at Villa.
The pass for Durans goal gets better every time i watch it, it was practically eye of the needle stuff through about two or three sets of players.
Along with Emi and Ollie, first name on the team sheet.
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His thread seems to have disappeared but I thought Diego Carlos has had 3 excellent games back to back now too. Hopefully he carries on like that when he plays.
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Two back to back, three in a row unless you are a contortionist.
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There is clearly a trade off with Torres. Quality on the ball for occasionally suspect defending.
Yeah, lack of strength (although Rodri said not that long ago that he put a ton of bulk on when he came here, and that he could see Pau Torres having to do the same), but then you get shit like a ball that doesn't just split the defence, it splits the entire team for Duran's goal against Bayern, and it's far from the first time he's done that.
I acknowledge his weaknesses, but he's a fantastic footballer.
Spot on.
I said to some friends over a half time pint during the Bayern game, that Torres looked completely at home in that company. He’s just a brilliant footballer and a defender the likes of which we have never probably seen. Not saying he’s the best defender we’ve had aka God, but we i have never seen a ball playing CB like him at Villa.
The pass for Durans goal gets better every time i watch it, it was practically eye of the needle stuff through about two or three sets of players.
Along with Emi and Ollie, first name on the team sheet.
Yep. What it also means is that opposing teams need to be right on it when he’s on the ball otherwise space and time combined with his accuracy spells trouble, doesn’t it Bayern?
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The beauty of our system is that if the opposition closed down Torres then it frees up space for someone like Teleman or Ramsey or Rogers to play in and Torres is just bypassed with the first pass
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Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal."
Unai sees what we see. And Pau did play a lot better after. Pau for me is a brilliant defender in European competition because the physicality isn’t as evident. It’s much more a technical requirement and he’s don’t so well in both games. Mings in certain games should be used instead of him. Pau of course is outstanding in bringing the ball out. Right now we have 4 really good options at CB with Diego finding some form.
Emery certainly doesn't shy away from calling it as it is. It's refreshing really. No PL centre back should be getting bullied in that manner, terrible goal to concede.
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I don't think Emi did great with the shot either.
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Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal."
Unai sees what we see. And Pau did play a lot better after. Pau for me is a brilliant defender in European competition because the physicality isn’t as evident. It’s much more a technical requirement and he’s don’t so well in both games. Mings in certain games should be used instead of him. Pau of course is outstanding in bringing the ball out. Right now we have 4 really good options at CB with Diego finding some form.
Emery certainly doesn't shy away from calling it as it is. It's refreshing really. No PL centre back should be getting bullied in that manner, terrible goal to concede.
No it was poor. But clearly it’s an acknowledged area of improvement and on the flip side there’s plenty of stuff he does that no other (or very very few) centre halves can do. See the pass against Bayern.
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Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal."
Unai sees what we see. And Pau did play a lot better after. Pau for me is a brilliant defender in European competition because the physicality isn’t as evident. It’s much more a technical requirement and he’s don’t so well in both games. Mings in certain games should be used instead of him. Pau of course is outstanding in bringing the ball out. Right now we have 4 really good options at CB with Diego finding some form.
Emery certainly doesn't shy away from calling it as it is. It's refreshing really. No PL centre back should be getting bullied in that manner, terrible goal to concede.
It shouldn’t even have come to that. As soon as the keeper set for the big punt Pau should have been back tracking to meet it with a header to clear it. Mings would have done that.
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I don't think Emi did great with the shot either.
Tough call on Emi. Jimenez was quite central so Emi had to try to cover most of the goal without angles to narrow it. And it went in off the inside of the post so as close to the edge of goal whilst still scoring.
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Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal."
Unai sees what we see. And Pau did play a lot better after. Pau for me is a brilliant defender in European competition because the physicality isn’t as evident. It’s much more a technical requirement and he’s don’t so well in both games. Mings in certain games should be used instead of him. Pau of course is outstanding in bringing the ball out. Right now we have 4 really good options at CB with Diego finding some form.
Emery certainly doesn't shy away from calling it as it is. It's refreshing really. No PL centre back should be getting bullied in that manner, terrible goal to concede.
It shouldn’t even have come to that. As soon as the keeper set for the big punt Pau should have been back tracking to meet it with a header to clear it. Mings would have done that.
One of the dangers with playing a high line means dropping back is not built in like previous generations of defenders. And Mings has also been caught under the ball for similar punts before his injury.
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Unai Emery: "Pau Torres needs to be stronger in his duels with his opponent. But he knows. We are working on it and he reacted fantastic after the goal."
Unai sees what we see. And Pau did play a lot better after. Pau for me is a brilliant defender in European competition because the physicality isn’t as evident. It’s much more a technical requirement and he’s don’t so well in both games. Mings in certain games should be used instead of him. Pau of course is outstanding in bringing the ball out. Right now we have 4 really good options at CB with Diego finding some form.
Emery certainly doesn't shy away from calling it as it is. It's refreshing really. No PL centre back should be getting bullied in that manner, terrible goal to concede.
It shouldn’t even have come to that. As soon as the keeper set for the big punt Pau should have been back tracking to meet it with a header to clear it. Mings would have done that.
Agreed, defensive line was very high at the time but Torres just needed to step back a bit and dealt with the punt. Instead he allowed himself to get bumped out of position by Jimenez, once the ball bounced he was in big trouble. Maybe Martinez should have been higher up the pitch sweeping behind him but Torres should be dealing with it anyway.
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I don't think Emi did great with the shot either.
Tough call on Emi. Jimenez was quite central so Emi had to try to cover most of the goal without angles to narrow it. And it went in off the inside of the post so as close to the edge of goal whilst still scoring.
Maybe - I just didn't think it was hit that hard. He did more than enough to redeem himself though - as always.
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In the Spain squad again.
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Good for him. He’s a quality player.
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Last thing he needs is pointless internationals . He needs a rest & reset
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In the Spain squad again.
Suprised. His recent form for me hasnt been great for us
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Last thing he needs is pointless internationals . He needs a rest & reset
Maybe the reset comes when he's away with Spain ...
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He was excellent tonight.
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He was good but i thought konsa was better. That tackle when it was 4 vs 1 was unbelievable
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He was good but i thought konsa was better. That tackle when it was 4 vs 1 was unbelievable
That was the only thing Konsa did well, he spent most of the first half giving the ball away/putting us under pressure.
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Pau was back to his best tonight, much better in possession and when we were chasing the game late on he really stepped up and some of his passing was back to what we've come to expect.
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He was good but i thought konsa was better. That tackle when it was 4 vs 1 was unbelievable
That was the only thing Konsa did well, he spent most of the first half giving the ball away/putting us under pressure.
I thought second half konsa was very good. 1st not the best but hw did well at rb under tough opposition. Just ashame you have a player like carlos that gifts oppositions goals
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Konsa barring that tackle was pants
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But anyway Pau showed why he has to play. He was both excellent defensively and also very good on the ball (should have won us a penalty too).
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Or even two penalties.
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Or even two penalties.
This. :-(
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The shirt pull was a definite penalty but it's the home of the perpetual victims so no chance that's given. Not too sure about the 2nd one. I thought he played really well and it's time to put Konsa and Torres back in Central defence, Carlos is an absolute liability and yet again gift wrapped a goal for the opposition.
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My apologies; I forgot Ollie's first-half 'collision'.
That could have been three penalties!
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Sent home from the Spanish squad after feeling 'muscle discomfort'.
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Sent home from the Spanish squad after feeling 'muscle discomfort'.
FFS
Here he comes.
(https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fc6b25b5c-fb28-43e8-80ec-d5b9469d694b.gif?crop=600%2C338%2C0%2C0&resize=360)
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Oh FFS.
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we'll see him March 2025 then
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Nah, that's probably good news. Rest him up, don't play him in unnecessary games. He has 10 days to get ready.
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He was lying on the ground looking like he had been shot on Saturday towards the end.
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Our injuries on Epl injury tracker went from zero to now six in a very short time
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Most of which are being assessed and aren't ruled out yet.
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He's training
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
Pau and carlos are so out of form its unbelievable
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
If I remember correctly, Pau was almost on the touchline with two players on him, and Carlos was still on the right-side of the box instead of coming across to offer the option to his partner. Then Torres made the awful mistake of trying to play it to him rather then to Emi who was slightly closer or just out of play. But as you mention, apart from that did he make any other mistake?
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
Pau and carlos are so out of form its unbelievable
Well the reason it's so unbelievable, is that it's not true!
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If I remember correctly, Pau was almost on the touchline with two players on him, and Carlos was still on the right-side of the box instead of coming across to offer the option to his partner. Then Torres made the awful mistake of trying to play it to him rather then to Emi who was slightly closer or just out of play...
Yes, he got a little isolated - good pressing from the opposition but poor support from his colleagues.
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
Pau and carlos are so out of form its unbelievable
Well the reason it's so unbelievable, is that it's not true!
You genuinely believe both are in form? Torres especially?
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
Pau and carlos are so out of form its unbelievable
Well the reason it's so unbelievable, is that it's not true!
You genuinely believe both are in form? Torres especially?
There's a big chunk of empty space between "in form" and "so out of form it's unbelievable".
They're both in that space.
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Yep, that's it exactly.
They aren't dreadful, at all, I think Emery is a manager who plays percentages, takes risks when the stats indicate it's in our favour (so many of our goals come from playing out from the back) but not when it isn't (see the goalie going up for corners as being one where it isn't).
Torres allows us to play out, in this modern style, way better than most defenders out there.
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Pau’s performance mirrored that of the team. An excellent game overall.
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I am trying to remember the last time Torres made a decent pass, If the basis for his selection is that he is able to pick a pass I am not seeing much evidence of it.
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Neither are playing well, let's be honest. Carlos, well he's an average defender. Torres is a fantastic player with the ball at his feet but even at that he is struggling recently. Running into trouble and that mistake last night are mistakes he simply wasn't making 12 months ago. Last night for some reason RBL didn't press us much until late on, our three centre backs all hit some nice long passes when under no pressure. But when RBL pushed up on them late on our trio collapsed.
Forest won't be like that, they will be getting stuck into us from the first minute. Not a game for Torres.
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I am trying to remember the last time Torres made a decent pass, If the basis for his selection is that he is able to pick a pass I am not seeing much evidence of it.
If you mean a significant one that led to something important happening, I'd probably say putting McGinn through for Watkins' goal against Palace a couple of weeks ago.
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He does it quite a lot. There was an example last night where we were on the back foot he got hold of the ball and his pass completely switched the play and gave us an attacking platform (Shearer specifically called it out).
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I am trying to remember the last time Torres made a decent pass, If the basis for his selection is that he is able to pick a pass I am not seeing much evidence of it.
If you mean a significant one that led to something important happening, I'd probably say putting McGinn through for Watkins' goal against Palace a couple of weeks ago.
Sure, but last season he was playing great passes every game, not necessarily resulting in goals but our ability to go from defence to attack because of his range of passing seems to have diminished.
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Delighted with the win but man torres was so bad last night. That pass second half at 2-2 we were so lucky they missed that chanceas it could have been a different score today.
Mings has to start for me Saturday vs forest
It was his mistake of the night - otherwise he was OK. But the trouble is the same can be said of the other two. As things stand we have one in-form centreback.
Pau and carlos are so out of form its unbelievable
Well the reason it's so unbelievable, is that it's not true!
You genuinely believe both are in form? Torres especially?
There's a big chunk of empty space between "in form" and "so out of form it's unbelievable".
They're both in that space.
i personally think they are way out of form especially torres. He hasnt been at the levels of last season in my opinion. He is making more passing mistakes, looks weak and just defensively not so good.
Guess with carlos you can argue he has never been in form! Just a handful of excellent performances only e.g arsenal games
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That suicidal pass across the box last night wouldn't have happened if he had trusted his right foot. It was a much tougher execution with the left side but because players even at the highest level avoid using their weaker foot where possible, fuck-ups can happen.
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I'm a big fan of Pau but can't help think he's gone off the boil a bit since I identified him as our most important player. This was around the time of Forest at home earlier this year. So really it's my fault.
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I love him and think he is instrumental in how we set up and play. There will be times, like dribblers losing the ball on occasion that a player like Torres will let a stray pass go awry - it is small margins.
Great that we can now have the flexibility to adapt to an opponents threat by bringing in Mings to combat Woods, which i think will be the choice
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I'm a big fan of Pau but can't help think he's gone off the boil a bit since I identified him as our most important player. This was around the time of Forest at home earlier this year. So really it's my fault.
Can you please identify Chris Wood as Forest's most important player?
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I'm a big fan of Pau but can't help think he's gone off the boil a bit since I identified him as our most important player. This was around the time of Forest at home earlier this year. So really it's my fault.
Can you please identify Chris Wood as Forest's most important player?
Every player who sets foot on the pitch for them on Saturday is equally their most important player.
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I thought Pau was very good last night. One excellent bit of play where he controlled an attempted ball forward and played an excellent ball into Watkins feet. His one error was horrible but the narrative around some of our players is mad at the moment.
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I thought Pau was very good last night. One excellent bit of play where he controlled an attempted ball forward and played an excellent ball into Watkins feet. His one error was horrible but the narrative around some of our players is mad at the moment.
I think that’s it, and some is a result of a dip in form, but the current targets for antipathy for some (at least from my perspective) are Watkins and Torres. Both of whom are excellent players, who have done plenty for the club. I don’t know why some have to jump to sweeping conclusions, but with Duran I’m sure some of those lauding him now were probably calling a waste of space a few months after he joined. Similarly I recall Mings being roundly slated at times.
I understand the frustration in game around cock-ups or poor decisions, I entirely feel that too, but it’s the extrapolation out to these players suddenly not being worthy of us that I struggle with.
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I thought Pau was very good last night. One excellent bit of play where he controlled an attempted ball forward and played an excellent ball into Watkins feet. His one error was horrible but the narrative around some of our players is mad at the moment.
You only have to look at our defensive stats to see why - it is horrible.
Hoping a run of kamara and onana in CM will help improve that
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I thought Pau was very good last night. One excellent bit of play where he controlled an attempted ball forward and played an excellent ball into Watkins feet. His one error was horrible but the narrative around some of our players is mad at the moment.
You only have to look at our defensive stats to see why - it is horrible.
Hoping a run of kamara and onana in CM will help improve that
I do look at the stats, I still fail to see why. Pau is not the problem. Which you’ve alluded to by suggesting a fix may be needed elsewhere.
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Pau is a wonderful footballer, and will continue to be a huge asset to our club, I'm certain of it. He helps us control games in a way that no other defender I have ever seen has been capable of. The moment mentioned above by Olneythelonely is a perfect example of that. Any other defender takes the touch back towards their own goal, plays the simple pass back to the keeper and we build from there. Pau got us 20 yards further up the pitch, with the opposition on the back foot, in the space of three touches. He is absolutely integral to how we play, and does things that no other defender (player?) in our squad can do.
Take Konsa, for example. He's a fantastic defender, but incredibly, and increasingly it seems, limited when it comes to playing a forward pass. He often has the opportunity to do so, but more frequently chooses not to and we have to build up from the other side instead. It's safer, but it does invite more pressure on our entire team, and especially Pau. Playing it safe means that he's far less likely to give the ball away, but it's not necessarily what's best for the team at that moment.
Pau does have some weaknesses though, and he has made more mistakes already this season that he did for the entirety of last season, but I don't think that he's always the main cause of that - it's a factor of the ball not sticking further up the pitch (we give the ball away a lot more this season). Some of the defending is inexcusable, I grant that, but what he offers our side is incredibly valuable, and I've seen enough from him to think that this is a dip in form, rather than anything more serious to worry about. Having a more settled, and confident, side in front of him will go a long way to helping.
There's more about what he offers than just looking at how many goals we concede. If you need stats, look at his 'progressive carries', 'carries into the final third', 'through balls' etc stats (he's in the top 10% of centre backs in Europe for all of those). That's why he's in the team, and why Unai loves him. He gets us up the pitch.
The obvious retort to this is: he's a defender, his job is to defend. There's plenty of truth in that, but it's much harder to defend if you're camped in your own half. Pau gets us up the pitch. Unfortunately, if last night is anything to go by, that's where the opposition's best attacks come from...
Pau is great, but Tyrone should play on Saturday. That doesn't mean Pau isn't good enough, but it means we've nearly got a squad where we can pick the best team to help us win a match, rather than just the same team over and over again. That, to me, is what this season has been all about so far - developing a squad to compete, not just flogging the same 13-14 players week in week out.
I could basically write the exact same thing about Watkins and Duran. Duran is a much better finisher, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he's our best option up front. He may be some weeks, he won't be every week. Everything doesn't have to be so binary - if we have a player that could replace another in the team, it doesn't mean that the one replaced is shit. It means we're getting a better squad - a reason to be cheerful. I think we focus on our own weaknesses too much.
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Pau is a wonderful footballer, and will continue to be a huge asset to our club, I'm certain of it. He helps us control games in a way that no other defender I have ever seen has been capable of. The moment mentioned above by Olneythelonely is a perfect example of that. Any other defender takes the touch back towards their own goal, plays the simple pass back to the keeper and we build from there. Pau got us 20 yards further up the pitch, with the opposition on the back foot, in the space of three touches. He is absolutely integral to how we play, and does things that no other defender (player?) in our squad can do.
Take Konsa, for example. He's a fantastic defender, but incredibly, and increasingly it seems, limited when it comes to playing a forward pass. He often has the opportunity to do so, but more frequently chooses not to and we have to build up from the other side instead. It's safer, but it does invite more pressure on our entire team, and especially Pau. Playing it safe means that he's far less likely to give the ball away, but it's not necessarily what's best for the team at that moment.
Pau does have some weaknesses though, and he has made more mistakes already this season that he did for the entirety of last season, but I don't think that he's always the main cause of that - it's a factor of the ball not sticking further up the pitch (we give the ball away a lot more this season). Some of the defending is inexcusable, I grant that, but what he offers our side is incredibly valuable, and I've seen enough from him to think that this is a dip in form, rather than anything more serious to worry about. Having a more settled, and confident, side in front of him will go a long way to helping.
There's more about what he offers than just looking at how many goals we concede. If you need stats, look at his 'progressive carries', 'carries into the final third', 'through balls' etc stats (he's in the top 10% of centre backs in Europe for all of those). That's why he's in the team, and why Unai loves him. He gets us up the pitch.
The obvious retort to this is: he's a defender, his job is to defend. There's plenty of truth in that, but it's much harder to defend if you're camped in your own half. Pau gets us up the pitch. Unfortunately, if last night is anything to go by, that's where the opposition's best attacks come from...
Pau is great, but Tyrone should play on Saturday. That doesn't mean Pau isn't good enough, but it means we've nearly got a squad where we can pick the best team to help us win a match, rather than just the same team over and over again. That, to me, is what this season has been all about so far - developing a squad to compete, not just flogging the same 13-14 players week in week out.
I could basically write the exact same thing about Watkins and Duran. Duran is a much better finisher, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he's our best option up front. He may be some weeks, he won't be every week. Everything doesn't have to be so binary - if we have a player that could replace another in the team, it doesn't mean that the one replaced is shit. It means we're getting a better squad - a reason to be cheerful. I think we focus on our own weaknesses too much.
I’d agree with this. He’s so good to watch on the ball and makes so many passes that take us from defence to attack. I think one of his weaknesses is defending crosses and dealing with the physical aspect of the English game.
He’s improved in that aspect and I’d much rather have him in the team than sitting on the bench.
Horses for course on Saturday and I think Mings would be much better in dealing with their threat up front and probably their pace as well. Playing both Kamara and Onana (if fit) would win us the midfield battle and also protect the back 4. It’s good to have options now and if we don’t fall for their counter attack we have a decent chance. Torres every day for me in Europe though.
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Please don't quote large posts, just use rabbit ears ^^
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Or if quoting one from a few posts earlier when later posts have been something different, snip most of it down.
Pau is a wonderful footballer, and will continue to be a huge asset to our club, I'm certain of it. <snip>
I agree.
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I thought Pau was very good last night. One excellent bit of play where he controlled an attempted ball forward and played an excellent ball into Watkins feet. His one error was horrible but the narrative around some of our players is mad at the moment.
You only have to look at our defensive stats to see why - it is horrible.
Hoping a run of kamara and onana in CM will help improve that
I do look at the stats, I still fail to see why. Pau is not the problem. Which you’ve alluded to by suggesting a fix may be needed elsewhere.
Pau is part of the defence so he is part of the problem and probably a big part of it as he has been a majority at cb. Collectively you have to look at them all but i would argue dignes not the problem as he has been generally excellent. We all know about the issues at right back too- thats the clubs fault not paus so iacceot that.
But generally on pau If you have looked at the stats the lack of clean sheets compared to last year shows where the issue is. as i said i do think having kamara injured for so long hasnt helped
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I thought Pau was very good last night. One excellent bit of play where he controlled an attempted ball forward and played an excellent ball into Watkins feet. His one error was horrible but the narrative around some of our players is mad at the moment.
You only have to look at our defensive stats to see why - it is horrible.
Hoping a run of kamara and onana in CM will help improve that
I do look at the stats, I still fail to see why. Pau is not the problem. Which you’ve alluded to by suggesting a fix may be needed elsewhere.
Pau is part of the defence so he is part of the problem and probably a big part of it as he has been a majority at cb. Collectively you have to look at them all but i would argue dignes not the problem as he has been generally excellent. We all know about the issues at right back too- thats the clubs fault not paus so iacceot that.
But generally on pau If you have looked at the stats the lack of clean sheets compared to last year shows where the issue is. as i said i do think having kamara injured for so long hasnt helped
Pau was the mainstay at centre half last year.
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Or if quoting one from a few posts earlier when later posts have been something different, snip most of it down.
I agree, and also with boozey's excellent post.
*Don't pass any heed on eamonn atm, he'll be suffering from PRD (post-Rio depression) for a few days.
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He's a big part of the problem defensively , the stats don't lie .
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He’s also been a big part of it when it did work.
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He’s also been a big part of it when it did work.
It’s only worked very occasionally since he’s been here - rarity is what makes those good performances by the defence stand out. Only 21 clean sheets since the start of last season, and I think we all know by now who his partner was in the vast majority of those.
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Unai states that Pau is integral to the way we play - it is strange how even after victory in the Champions league, we have to try and find a scapegoat.
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Unai states that Pau is integral to the way we play - it is strange how even after victory in the Champions league, we have to try and find a scapegoat.
I'm not sure it's about finding a scapegoat, it's more about how we can improve and take that next step to hopefully become a fixture in the higher reaches of the league and European competition.
One of the areas that needs improvement in that regards is our defending, as we've been conceding sloppy goals for some time now and have been unable to shut teams out on too many occasions.
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Or if quoting one from a few posts earlier when later posts have been something different, snip most of it down.
I agree, and also with boozey's excellent post.
*Don't pass any heed on eamonn atm, he'll be suffering from PRD (post-Rio depression) for a few days.
Or if quoting one from a few posts earlier when later posts have been something different, snip most of it down.
I agree, and also with boozey's excellent post.
*Don't pass any heed on eamonn atm, he'll be suffering from PRD (post-Rio depression) for a few days.
post.
I agree too, it’s an excellent post by Boozey.
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Oops. What have I done?
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Unai states that Pau is integral to the way we play - it is strange how even after victory in the Champions league, we have to try and find a scapegoat.
That’s undoubtedly true about certain posters on H&V who can’t wait to support their false narratives. I’ve consumed hours of content on the Liepzig match, watched the whole match again, heard the pundits and listened to five or six Villa podcasts. Pau, Carlos and Konsa barely got a mention when they’re apportioning blame for the goals. They all blame Emi (with the exception of The Villa Podcast, which has a long-standing antipathy towards Carlos). But it was entirely predictable who would get the blame on here, even if people with a clue about football corrected them.
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Our defensive struggles aren't really down to individuals, even when we make clear mistakes more often than not they're a communication/cohesion issue.
For this game I'd say there were 2 big errors, the first goal and the intercepted Pau pass, I don't think the 2nd goal was an error in defence.
For the first no one takes control of the situation and for the 2nd Pau needed more support as he was put under a lot of pressure.
If we pick the same back 4 for a bunch of games in a row I think these problems solved themselves but that just hasn't happened this year. I don't think we've had the same defense 2 games in a row since September and that's hurting us. Partly it's down to Emery trying to keep everyone happy but there's also been injuries to Cash and Mings recovery as well as niggles for Carlos, Konsa and Pau.
We finally seem to be getting a more stable squad now so I think things will improve soon.
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Our defensive struggles aren't really down to individuals, even when we make clear mistakes more often than not they're a communication/cohesion issue.
For this game I'd say there were 2 big errors, the first goal and the intercepted Pau pass, I don't think the 2nd goal was an error in defence.
For the first no one takes control of the situation and for the 2nd Pau needed more support as he was put under a lot of pressure.
If we pick the same back 4 for a bunch of games in a row I think these problems solved themselves but that just hasn't happened this year. I don't think we've had the same defense 2 games in a row since September and that's hurting us. Partly it's down to Emery trying to keep everyone happy but there's also been injuries to Cash and Mings recovery as well as niggles for Carlos, Konsa and Pau.
We finally seem to be getting a more stable squad now so I think things will improve soon.
Yep, as good as summary of the situation as I’ve read. In fact you could go back to the middle of last season and say the same, it’s often about the stability and consistency of the unit as opposed to individual performances. We’ll be fine as we move forwards and get some stability in our selections. Longer term I’m sure Unai will be looking at who fits, who doesn’t and making decisions as necessary.
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Our defensive struggles aren't really down to individuals, even when we make clear mistakes more often than not they're a communication/cohesion issue.
Risking the wrath of Percy, I have to say Carlos doesn't help himself here. I don't think I have ever noticed him trying to communicate with another defender. For the first goal, Konsa was shouting man on and yet nothing from Carlos. There was also some action from the second half where Konsa tracking a runner got dragged into the centre between Carlos and Pau. Normally when that happens the closest CB goes across to cover. Konsa was shouting for Carlos to move over and he just stood there in his place making no attempt to move.
(Konsa should have done better blocking on the first one, but at some point the block could easily have become a foul).
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The first goal would have seen Mings take full control of that - either blocking the attacker or heading it clear.
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The first goal would have seen Mings take full control of that - either blocking the attacker or heading it clear.
Except it fell in the RCB channel and Mings would have been where Torres was.
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Our defensive struggles aren't really down to individuals, even when we make clear mistakes more often than not they're a communication/cohesion issue.
For this game I'd say there were 2 big errors, the first goal and the intercepted Pau pass, I don't think the 2nd goal was an error in defence.
For the first no one takes control of the situation and for the 2nd Pau needed more support as he was put under a lot of pressure.
If we pick the same back 4 for a bunch of games in a row I think these problems solved themselves but that just hasn't happened this year. I don't think we've had the same defense 2 games in a row since September and that's hurting us. Partly it's down to Emery trying to keep everyone happy but there's also been injuries to Cash and Mings recovery as well as niggles for Carlos, Konsa and Pau.
We finally seem to be getting a more stable squad now so I think things will improve soon.
Agree Paul, the habit of conceding sloppy goals crept in last season and has continued into this one.
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The habit of conceding sloppy goals crept in last season and has continued into this one.
Mings used to be the one who used to switch off for sloppy goals. Yes, it was stopped in Emery's first half season, but we definite used to do it before then.
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If I was picking the team Torres would be in it every single time. A Rolls-Royce of a player, and if some Neanderthal who isn't fit to lace his boots occasionally roughs him up a bit, well, into each life a little rain must fall.
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The first goal would have seen Mings take full control of that - either blocking the attacker or heading it clear.
Now I know a lot of people are now seeing Mings as Franz Beckenbauer after his injury, forgetting that a lot of people were saying he wasn’t good enough for us, but I’m not convinced he’d be covering that side of the pitch. Unless you’re saying he’d be playing at right centre back, with Pau left centre back. Then it may have been the case, we don’t know though, because he’s never played there for us.
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The first goal would have seen Mings take full control of that - either blocking the attacker or heading it clear.
Now I know a lot of people are now seeing Mings as Franz Beckenbauer after his injury, forgetting that a lot of people were saying he wasn’t good enough for us, but I’m not convinced he’d be covering that side of the pitch.
That, and also the "the defence doesn't make silly mistakes when Mings is playing" takes seem to have memory-holed the Brugge game a bit.
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For me we have 4 very good CB's...
Pau....good with the ball...mistake in the locker/odd brain fart
Mings....see above
Carlos...see above
Konsa...not as good with the ball..the most reliable..best defensively of the 4
I have no idea which is the best pairing as we constantly rotate them.
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That, and also the "the defence doesn't make silly mistakes when Mings is playing" takes seem to have memory-holed the Brugge game a bit.
People are obviously talking about general defensive lapses in terms of dealing with opposition players, rather than once in a career brain farts from a goal kick.
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That, and also the "the defence doesn't make silly mistakes when Mings is playing" takes seem to have memory-holed the Brugge game a bit.
People are obviously talking about general defensive lapses in terms of dealing with opposition players, rather than once in a career brain farts from a goal kick.
Mings has had more than enough of those types of mistakes in his Villa career though.
I do think he’s a better defender than Carlos. I think Pau is a better footballer than Mings. A combination of the two would be Paul McGrath-like.
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That, and also the "the defence doesn't make silly mistakes when Mings is playing" takes seem to have memory-holed the Brugge game a bit.
People are obviously talking about general defensive lapses in terms of dealing with opposition players, rather than once in a career brain farts from a goal kick.
Mings has had more than enough of those types of mistakes in his Villa career though.
I do think he’s a better defender than Carlos. I think Pau is a better footballer than Mings. A combination of the two would be Paul McGrath-like.
I agree with OtL.
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That, and also the "the defence doesn't make silly mistakes when Mings is playing" takes seem to have memory-holed the Brugge game a bit.
People are obviously talking about general defensive lapses in terms of dealing with opposition players, rather than once in a career brain farts from a goal kick.
Mings has had more than enough of those types of mistakes in his Villa career though.
I do think he’s a better defender than Carlos. I think Pau is a better footballer than Mings. A combination of the two would be Paul McGrath-like.
Yep and I also think Pau isn’t as terrible defensively as the prevailing narrative makes out. Again I point back to our very successful first 6 months of last year.
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The habit of conceding sloppy goals crept in last season and has continued into this one.
Mings used to be the one who used to switch off for sloppy goals. Yes, it was stopped in Emery's first half season, but we definite used to do it before then.
Undoubtedly, but I think it has got worse in the last couple of seasons. I guess it happens, but even when we seem to be in total control of games (Tuesday night being an example) we seem to concede a soft goal and then put ourselves under pressure.
Watching them live, it just smacks me a bit that there isn't that real hard edge at the back and that grit and determination to keep a clean sheet. That suggests it might be more of a mindset and mentality or it could even be concentration. It's hard to complain when we've had the couple of seasons we've had though, but if we are to take that next leap, then I think that is definitely one area to improve.
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That, and also the "the defence doesn't make silly mistakes when Mings is playing" takes seem to have memory-holed the Brugge game a bit.
People are obviously talking about general defensive lapses in terms of dealing with opposition players, rather than once in a career brain farts from a goal kick.
But some people seem to also forget that Mings has also had his collection of errors and brain farts when he was playing regularly, even before the Brugge one.
I think you'd be hard pushed to argue that Mings hasn't made a lot more mistakes than any of the other defenders over the last 2-3 years. Even comparing his mistake to Konsa's is nonsense really if you look at the match. Konsa's was a last gasp attempt after Lukaku had completely got away from Targett. Mings made no attempt at all.
I would still want Mings in the defence though.
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Digging up a post from three years ago referencing Mings pre-Emery from 2019? Even by your low standards, that's pretty dumb.
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That horror pass from Torres straight to their CF . We were so lucky to have not gone 2-3 behind there to the worst team in the league
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Digging up a post from three years ago referencing Mings pre-Emery from 2019? Even by your low standards, that's pretty dumb.
Someone pointed out that Mings has made a "once only brainfart" and is miles better then what we have now, (And I'm pretty sure that if we looked at the Brugge thread, you are giving him a right hosing over the mistake then as well.)
But others have stated we only started giving stupid defensive mistakes when he got injured. So I actually went looking for games when he had made them like Norwich away (beautiful header under no pressure straight to the attacker). But I couldn't resist when I saw that quote.
I also believe that when he did have the Captaincy changed, there were some comments along the lines of "maybe it will concentrate his mind more to cut out the mistakes". Yes Emery did improve him in that first half season, along with the rest but that was down to him telling Mings he did not have to be everywhere on the and to just concentrate on his man.
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Unai states that Pau is integral to the way we play - it is strange how even after victory in the Champions league, we have to try and find a scapegoat.
That’s undoubtedly true about certain posters on H&V who can’t wait to support their false narratives. I’ve consumed hours of content on the Liepzig match, watched the whole match again, heard the pundits and listened to five or six Villa podcasts. Pau, Carlos and Konsa barely got a mention when they’re apportioning blame for the goals. They all blame Emi (with the exception of The Villa Podcast, which has a long-standing antipathy towards Carlos). But it was entirely predictable who would get the blame on here, even if people with a clue about football corrected them.
Maybe a bit of fresh air rather than hot air is called for in your case?
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Digging up a post from three years ago referencing Mings pre-Emery from 2019? Even by your low standards, that's pretty dumb.
Someone pointed out that Mings has made a "once only brainfart" and is miles better then what we have now, (And I'm pretty sure that if we looked at the Brugge thread, you are giving him a right hosing over the mistake then as well.)
But others have stated we only started giving stupid defensive mistakes when he got injured. So I actually went looking for games when he had made them like Norwich away (beautiful header under no pressure straight to the attacker). But I couldn't resist when I saw that quote.
I also believe that when he did have the Captaincy changed, there were some comments along the lines of "maybe it will concentrate his mind more to cut out the mistakes". Yes Emery did improve him in that first half season, along with the rest but that was down to him telling Mings he did not have to be everywhere on the and to just concentrate on his man.
You really aren't as clever as you perhaps think you are. My point was "People are obviously talking about general defensive lapses in terms of dealing with opposition players, rather than once in a career brain farts from a goal kick."
Highlights in bold for the hard of thinking
Since Mings has been playing under Emery, he's largely cut out the mistakes from general play, like heading the ball into dangerous positions in our area, or passing the ball straight to attackers. The goal kick fuck up was a terrible mistake that cost us the match, but it was absolutely nothing to do with his general play as a defender, which as he showed against Brentford, remains top notch. If you need any further explanation, and you probably do, here's one last try.
Mings has made quite a few errors in his career, and he used to have a reputation for them. Under Emery, he mostly cut them out. The goal kick fiasco was nothing to do with how good a defender he is, he clearly just didn't think the ball was in play. He's never done it before, and will almost certainly never do that again, hence the "once in a career".
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Our defensive struggles aren't really down to individuals, even when we make clear mistakes more often than not they're a communication/cohesion issue.
For this game I'd say there were 2 big errors, the first goal and the intercepted Pau pass, I don't think the 2nd goal was an error in defence.
For the first no one takes control of the situation and for the 2nd Pau needed more support as he was put under a lot of pressure.
If we pick the same back 4 for a bunch of games in a row I think these problems solved themselves but that just hasn't happened this year. I don't think we've had the same defense 2 games in a row since September and that's hurting us. Partly it's down to Emery trying to keep everyone happy but there's also been injuries to Cash and Mings recovery as well as niggles for Carlos, Konsa and Pau.
We finally seem to be getting a more stable squad now so I think things will improve soon.
Lack of cohesion won't be fixed by picking the same individuals, the more the sample size increases it's worse they are getting. Namely Carlos and Torres as a pair. Cash and Digne are having solid seasons in the full back positions, early on in Emery's reign we used get overloaded down the flanks but that doesn't happen anymore. Kamara back into midfield has fixed what was a gaping gap in front of them. So the excuses are running out but the mistakes are increasing.
Konsa shouldn't be escaping criticism either, at this stage of his career he shouldn't need a leader next to him. Pointing fingers at everybody else is not leadership. He has been poor this season.
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Mings has made quite a few errors in his career, and he used to have a reputation for them. Under Emery, he mostly cut them out. The goal kick fiasco was nothing to do with how good a defender he is, he clearly just didn't think the ball was in play. He's never done it before, and will almost certainly never do that again, hence the "once in a career".
I thought that was my argument at the time, yours was "utterly idiotic, there is no excuse for such a stupid action".
But we seem to agree on that now, plus also he has been error prone in the past. But when the errors were cut out, (or at least any made were not punished as much) we were defending deep and hitting on the break. Unfortunately Tyrone wasn't around last season to see if he would have still been as defensively strong when we play with the high line AND with the high press which leaves less cover for the defenders, unlike that half season. So although I do want him to play more, for people to state we wouldn't be making errors with him playing seems to ignore most of his Villa career previously.
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I think there's been a noticeable move away from Torres trying 50 yard killer passes, to giving it to either Tielemans but more so, Kamara to try to advance the ball. Looks like Emery wants more defensive stability from his defenders and to let the cultured midfielders do the creative stuff.
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Unai states that Pau is integral to the way we play - it is strange how even after victory in the Champions league, we have to try and find a scapegoat.
That’s undoubtedly true about certain posters on H&V who can’t wait to support their false narratives. I’ve consumed hours of content on the Liepzig match, watched the whole match again, heard the pundits and listened to five or six Villa podcasts. Pau, Carlos and Konsa barely got a mention when they’re apportioning blame for the goals. They all blame Emi (with the exception of The Villa Podcast, which has a long-standing antipathy towards Carlos). But it was entirely predictable who would get the blame on here, even if people with a clue about football corrected them.
Maybe a bit of fresh air rather than hot air is called for in your case?
I get plenty of fresh air thanks. I’m in the fortunate position to be able to listen to and watch whatever I like during working hours, many of which are spent out in the fresh air.
Still, one would think that everybody, regardless of the air quality they enjoy, would agree that it’s a good thing for their team to keep clean sheets and concede fewer goals. One would think that, and then you post again, vehemently opposing that idea.
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I wonder if Torres' "faults" are exacerbated by what's happening in midfield? He had Luiz and Kamara in front of him for most of last season. Then we lost Kamara for months, Dougie went in the summer, McGinn hasn't been great for spells this season, Onana's been injured, Tielemans is hot and cold. There hasn't necessarily been that solid midfield set up we had for most of last season.
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He wasn't that great at defending last season either . Remember early warning signs at Burnley away when he was very weakly rolled on the front post for their goal .
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That horror pass from Torres straight to their CF . We were so lucky to have not gone 2-3 behind there to the worst team in the league
Of course, but that is not really representative of defensive weakness. It’s a complete brain fade but it’s got nothing to do with his actual capability - well no more than Mings putting his hand on the ball in the area.
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Totally different for me . Mings used to have fairly regular lapses when we first came up but that's largely eradicated now . The Brugges incident he thinks the ball is dead simple as . Whilst Torres is a decent passer , midfield like in some ways I see his defensive frailties more regularly still . Another good example being Fulham away when he was easily bullied for their goal
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I think there's been a noticeable move away from Torres trying 50 yard killer passes, to giving it to either Tielemans but more so, Kamara to try to advance the ball. Looks like Emery wants more defensive stability from his defenders and to let the cultured midfielders do the creative stuff.
Pau spent more time than usual actually in the midfield on Tuesday, I thought - especially in the first half, and to good effect.
Must say, the Mings handball "wrong kind of leaves" argument is a pretty hilarious case of doublethink!
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Totally different for me . Mings used to have fairly regular lapses when we first came up but that's largely eradicated now . The Brugges incident he thinks the ball is dead simple as . Whilst Torres is a decent passer , midfield like in some ways I see his defensive frailties more regularly still . Another good example being Fulham away when he was easily bullied for their goal
Yep, before the Lille one, he didn't make one in the 23/24 season at all.
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Mings is a better defender, Torres is a better footballer.
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Mings is a better defender, Torres is a better footballer.
©️ Olneythelonely
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Mings is a better defender, Torres is a better footballer.
I think you're right, ChicagoLion.
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Mings has got much better bringing the ball out and has an array / range of passing he's very good at . I think he'll be back in the England squad before long.
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To illustrate, against Fulham right in front of where I was sitting a long ball was played towards Pau, there were 3 Fulham players close by, Mings would have and been perfectly entitled to clear his lines either heading it distance or into touch.
Torres, read the flight of the ball, took it down on his chest, one touch and a pass to a Villa player in midfield. It was majestic.
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Mings is a better defender, Torres is a better footballer.
A succinct way of putting it. Well said, CL!
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To illustrate, against Fulham right in front of where I was sitting a long ball was played towards Pau, there were 3 Fulham players close by, Mings would have and been perfectly entitled to clear his lines either heading it distance or into touch.
Torres, read the flight of the ball, took it down on his chest, one touch and a pass to a Villa player in midfield. It was majestic.
That's Jessie talk. Mings would have crippled the nearest oppo on general principles. Job done.
tHAT'S
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Weak defensively today and didn't see many defence splitting passes either . Such a shame Mings was sick . Though Chaos Carlos should not have started either
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He was absolutely fine today.
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Yet Konsa gets a free pass..
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Yet Konsa gets a free pass..
Konsa was poor too, but he was played out of position in his defence .
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Torres played absolutely fine today, and he did bring the ball out of defence. The goals aren’t down to him, singling him out is just playing up to a narrative.
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Torres played absolutely fine today, and he did bring the ball out of defence. The goals aren’t down to him, singling him out is just playing up to a narrative.
Watch him again for the first goal. I thought he was ok that aside but his distribution isn't at his best.
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Torres played absolutely fine today, and he did bring the ball out of defence. The goals aren’t down to him, singling him out is just playing up to a narrative.
Rubbish. He's all at sea for goal 1 .
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The bloke cannot defend. And is playing besides someone who can defend one in 7 games.
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I appreciate he was brought in to the club to improve the passing and to bring the ball out from the back but the main feature of any centre half is to be able to defend properly. He is rarely in the right place at the right time and when he is, he’s passive and lacks aggression.
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Probably gets away with it in La Liga but he's not strong enough for the Prem .
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But again was good and strong enough when we got to top of the league a year ago.
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But again was good and strong enough when we got to top of the league a year ago.
We never got to the top . And leagues aren't won in December anyway .
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He’s ace, he isn’t the problem.
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Ok near the top, but winning the league isn’t the point. He was starting in the Premier League and doing fine when we competed at the top. He’s not in his best form, but this idea that he isn’t good enough as a player for where we want to be is nonsense.
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Our defence is a car crash and he's at the centre of it . (As is DC) .
Both need moving on .
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Torres played absolutely fine today, and he did bring the ball out of defence. The goals aren’t down to him, singling him out is just playing up to a narrative.
Rubbish. He's all at sea for goal 1 .
Not sure what you are getting at just stating Torres is at fault. Corner comes in, is cleared near post by Digne, the whole defence come out to the edge of the box to try to get Gibbs-White offside, they don't and then the ball clears everyone's head, not just Torres. IF a player needs a blame it is Kamara. Comes out with the rest, then dives in, then comes out again, then marks space on the edge of the area letting 31 stand two yards goal side and making an unchecked run.
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He's the been main man for the last 12 months when we've been shipping goals, right left and centre. Whether that's next to Konsa or Carlos, the end result is the same. £30m+ on a defender who can't defend or organise the rest of the back four.
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Torres played absolutely fine today, and he did bring the ball out of defence. The goals aren’t down to him, singling him out is just playing up to a narrative.
Rubbish. He's all at sea for goal 1 .
Not sure what you are getting at just stating Torres is at fault. Corner comes in, is cleared near post by Digne, the whole defence come out to the edge of the box to try to get Gibbs-White offside, they don't and then the ball clears everyone's head, not just Torres. IF a player needs a blame it is Kamara. Comes out with the rest, then dives in, then comes out again, then marks space on the edge of the area letting 31 stand two yards goal side and making an unchecked run.
Torres is nearly on top of Konsa while their guy stands unopposed behind him. Kamara was very poor too, didn't track him but Torres is in no man's land. It was a great ball across the goal from Gibbs-White but the defending is pathetic.
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He's the been main man for the last 12 months when we've been shipping goals, right left and centre. Whether that's next to Konsa or Carlos, the end result is the same. £30m+ on a defender who can't defend or organise the rest of the back four.
And he was the main man for the preceding 6 months and we did well. It suggests he might not be the issue, and the main thing that has changed in that time is our central midfield combo.
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Some seem to think he is some sort of messiah.
He gives the ball away as many times as he makes a pass.
He regularly under hits his passes putting the receiver under more pressure than necessary.
He is a centre half who is crap in the air, and he is not a good defender.
He is nowhere near the quality of players like God,, Laursen or Mellberg.
He is definitely an ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ type player.
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He's the been main man for the last 12 months when we've been shipping goals, right left and centre. Whether that's next to Konsa or Carlos, the end result is the same. £30m+ on a defender who can't defend or organise the rest of the back four.
And he was the main man for the preceding 6 months and we did well. It suggests he might not be the issue, and the main thing that has changed in that time is our central midfield combo.
A year's a lot longer than 6 months, isn't it? Like, double?
If he was half as good at defending as you are at defending him, he'd be like Paul McGrath. But he isn't, he's shit at it.
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You don’t have to get snarky just because I don’t agree with you. I just think there’s a pretty obvious point at which our defensive problems, in the main, started. It’s when Kamara and Doug stopped being a regular combo in midfield. It doesn’t mean the defenders don’t have individual weaknesses, but it does suggest the idea it is all about their levels of competence is probably misguided.
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Indeed.
It’s why pointing at any given back four combination and the goals against column and saying “that’s the best” because numbers, which seems to be an ongoing discussion on here, is entirely bogus - it ignores what is going on in the team elsewhere.
The defence have a penchant for comedy goals of late but to a degree, they are just partly a symptom of the problem not the entire cause.
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He's an absolute liability in the centre of defence . It's there in black and white to see .
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It’s really not, as per the above. But you might be right - philogene was the answer and Barkley was hopeless as well right?
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Is there any chance at all that someone could post the evidence of Konsa and Pau being a better defensive partnership than Carlos and Pau? Only the thing is, they concede more goals and keep less clean sheets, so I’d be really interested to see the working out.
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Mings and Konsa are our best CB pairing. Torres is a great passer but weak in the air. Mings is a good passer of the ball and immense in the air and vocal with his organisation. Pity he had to pull out last night with illness.
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And I’ll keep coming back to it, our defensive issues are broader than just landing on a particular pair of centre halves. They’re all capable in different ways, and it’s obviously important to get two centre halves playing well. But identifying the statistical best pair of Mings and Konsa, or Pau and Mings, or Mings and Carlos etc isn’t going to fix our problems in isolation. It is a wider problem, the midfield is a big part of it. Kamara on his own was never going to fix it. We need to reduce the constant stress on our defence.
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Kamara on his own was never going to fix it.
One myth debunked.
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How about:
Cash - Konsa - Mings - Torres
Onana - Kamara - Digne
Rogers - McGinn or Tielemans
Watkins or Duran
Until we start having a bundle of clean sheets?
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How about:
Cash - Konsa - Mings - Torres
Onana - Kamara - Digne
Rogers - McGinn or Tielemans
Watkins or Duran
Until we start having a bundle of clean sheets?
That would make us vulnerable on both flanks and where we are getting hurt now.
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Is there any chance at all that someone could post the evidence of Konsa and Pau being a better defensive partnership than Carlos and Pau? Only the thing is, they concede more goals and keep less clean sheets, so I’d be really interested to see the working out.
I think both combinations are shite at the moment, so really, I struggle to care about historic data. I know only one combination has kept a clean sheet in the league this season. We’re playing tactically different this season, so I’m not sure previous data is helpful in deciding who is the best defence in this current system.
As much as Dim keeps saying it’s all Pau’s fault, I know that’s just attention seeking.
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Moaning about different pairings is as I said before, like complaining about the deckchairs on the Titanic. There's one constant though: Torres. He's a great player bringing the ball out of defence, he's just nowhere near as good when the ball's being played into our area. I really hope it's only a minor illness for Mings, we need his leadership and organisational ability right now.
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Until we start slagging Mings off and saying he’s not good enough. Again.
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Is there any chance at all that someone could post the evidence of Konsa and Pau being a better defensive partnership than Carlos and Pau? Only the thing is, they concede more goals and keep less clean sheets, so I’d be really interested to see the working out.
I think both combinations are shite at the moment, so really, I struggle to care about historic data. I know only one combination has kept a clean sheet in the league this season. We’re playing tactically different this season, so I’m not sure previous data is helpful in deciding who is the best defence in this current system.
As much as Dim keeps saying it’s all Pau’s fault, I know that’s just attention seeking.
We’ve kept two in the league and four in the CL this season, all six with Carlos and Pau playing. Not sure why the CL games don’t count.
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Until we start slagging Mings off and saying he’s not good enough. Again.
Indeed. Maybe mistakes resonate more with certain people more than results/stats, whatever you want to call them.
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Is there any chance at all that someone could post the evidence of Konsa and Pau being a better defensive partnership than Carlos and Pau? Only the thing is, they concede more goals and keep less clean sheets, so I’d be really interested to see the working out.
I think both combinations are shite at the moment, so really, I struggle to care about historic data. I know only one combination has kept a clean sheet in the league this season. We’re playing tactically different this season, so I’m not sure previous data is helpful in deciding who is the best defence in this current system.
As much as Dim keeps saying it’s all Pau’s fault, I know that’s just attention seeking.
We’ve kept two in the league and four in the CL this season, all six with Carlos and Pau playing. Not sure why the CL games don’t count.
I forgot about the Man U game. I’m not discounting the CL games, we’re doing great in that competition, but I feel we are setting up differently in the league and is contributing to our poor defence.
Carlos and Pau might be our best combination but at the moment it’s shite regardless but of how we are playing, rather than who we are playing there, in my opinion.
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Forests 1st given goal yesterday , ball in the air in our 6 yard box , all 3 CB's are in there and not one of the clowns gets near it. Pathetic weak defending from all 3
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Is Carlos still walking around today with his hands behind his back? Such strange behaviour from Diego, maybe he forget his hands were still behind his back and carried on playing with them there or maybe he was handcuffed. It would certainly explain a lot.
As for us playing out from the back my sympathy is with our central defenders having midfielders successfully making themselves unavailable by standing next to an opposition player. Somebody should tell them they are allowed to move. A big space in between to opposition players, you'd think one of our midfielders would move there to receive the ball but no, they prefer to reduce the options for our centre backs. Onana is an expert at this but he's not alone, Barkley excels and even Kamara enjoys a game of Statues every now and then. Anybody would think they're scared of receiving the ball.
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Dougie always wanted the ball and like Kamara could turn a player or play a pass quickly. They really excelled in this system and had a great relationship together.
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Is Carlos still walking around today with his hands behind his back? Such strange behaviour from Diego, maybe he forget his hands were still behind his back and carried on playing with them there or maybe he was handcuffed. It would certainly explain a lot.
As for us playing out from the back my sympathy is with our central defenders having midfielders successfully making themselves unavailable by standing next to an opposition player. Somebody should tell them they are allowed to move. A big space in between to opposition players, you'd think one of our midfielders would move there to receive the ball but no, they prefer to reduce the options for our centre backs. Onana is an expert at this but he's not alone, Barkley excels and even Kamara enjoys a game of Statues every now and then. Anybody would think they're scared of receiving the ball.
Tielemans did it for the entire first half.
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Tielemans did it for the entire first half.
I'd forgotten he was on the pitch.
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It would be interesting to see average goals conceded per game when Torres plays . The defence has become a car crash under Emery
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Yeah, we need to return it to the calm, authoritative days of the Gerrard era.
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Yeah, we need to return it to the calm, authoritative days of the Gerrard era.
The defence was better back then, it was scoring goals that was the issue. When Gerrard rightly got the push, we'd conceded fewer goals than we had in the same number of games under Emery this season.
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Edited for reasons of illiteracy.
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Yeah, we need to return it to the calm, authoritative days of the Gerrard era.
The defence was better back then, it was scoring goals that was the issue. When Gerrard rightly got the push, we'd conceded fewer goals than we had in the same number of games under Emery this season.
I guess this is where argument gets a bit more technical. Torres when he was at his best was key as a playmaker, combining very well with Luiz for one, and creating chances/goals. So you might take the risk of conceding a few more with what he gave us in possession. Especially when we had Moreno playing quite a bit like a winger at times next to him. But Torres distribution has regressed to my eye lately while defensively he is as poor as he has ever been. That's with Martinez behind him, Kamara in front of him and Digne left of him. The excuses eventually run out.
Emery has to get Konsa/Mings back in for a run of games.
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Yes of course. It's fine to give up SOME defensive stability for Pau's ability on the ball. But when he's creating very little going foward and defending worse than ever, then it's time for a rethink.
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Very good day - positionally good and his distribution was excellent.
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Thought he played well today after a few shaky moments early . Was a game that suited him as was very little physical stuff to do , can only recall that one cross into the box to Harland who put the header wide .
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I thought he was poor today. He was forced onto his right foot a lot - whether by poor passing to him from Martinez or Konsa - but nonetheless some of his passing from the back was weak.
Of all the players on the pitch today he scored poorly, in my opinion.
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Definitely an ‘Emperors new clothes’ player.
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I thought he was poor today. He was forced onto his right foot a lot - whether by poor passing to him from Martinez or Konsa - but nonetheless some of his passing from the back was weak.
Of all the players on the pitch today he scored poorly, in my opinion.
Bit harsh, but I agree he did look shaky at times with the ball which is unusual for him really. There was a spell.in the first half in front of where I was in the Holte, where he was panicking when the ball came to him. Thought he was OK on the whole though.
Thought Digne had more of an off day, compounded by tripping over the ball in his own box and gifting them a goal right at the end.
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He wasn’t terrible. He just needs to realise that you can put your foot through the ball when pressed.
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He wasn’t terrible. He just needs to realise that you can put your foot through the ball when pressed.
To be fair it’s pretty obvious they’re under specific instruction not to do that.
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He wasn’t terrible. He just needs to realise that you can put your foot through the ball when pressed.
To be fair it’s pretty obvious they’re under specific instruction not to do that.
I’m sure there are mitigating circumstances when needs must. It isn’t and never has been keep working it out from the back at all costs. If Torres is on his weaker foot and being heavily pressed he should leather it. I know why we do what we do. I equally know as does Torres when not to do what’s instructed.
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He wasn’t terrible. He just needs to realise that you can put your foot through the ball when pressed.
To be fair it’s pretty obvious they’re under specific instruction not to do that.
I’m sure there are mitigating circumstances when needs must. It isn’t and never has been keep working it out from the back at all costs. If Torres is on his weaker foot and being heavily pressed he should leather it. I know why we do what we do. I equally know as does Torres when not to do what’s instructed.
Under certain circumstances, yes, but I think the point is that they're under strict instructions NOT to "leather it when pressed". In fact, we actively seek out the press, and try to play through it to try and create the now fashionable "overloads".
I understand your point, that sometimes it looks like the press has worked and we should just leather it rather than lose it in silly places, but I've honestly lost count of the times I've thought that was about to happen, only for the players to play a couple of quick first-time passes and we're suddenly 30 yards up the pitch and on the attack.
Our style is sometimes nerve-wracking to watch against very good pressing sides, but over the course of the season I'm very confident it's a style that will lead to more goals than it costs us.
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The only reason we were able to cut through them time and time again is because of our bravery on the ball. It’s not a needs must situation. They’re clearly told to be brave, keep hold at all costs and only go long under specific instruction.
He ended up in some really tricky positions and it didn’t always work out perfectly. But he’s playing exactly how Unai is instructing him. We need to get used to it
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Exactly.
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There were times in that second half when the left hand side quartet of Torres, Digne, Onana and Rogers were taking the piss out of Citehs press and we were moving the ball with such ease. When Tielemans was then getting the ball on the half turn he had acres of space to run and pass into. Joyous.
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I thought he was great on Saturday and seemed to enjoy the protection he had in front of him from the Kamara/Onana brick wall.
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The only reason we were able to cut through them time and time again is because of our bravery on the ball. It’s not a needs must situation. They’re clearly told to be brave, keep hold at all costs and only go long under specific instruction.
He ended up in some really tricky positions and it didn’t always work out perfectly. But he’s playing exactly how Unai is instructing him. We need to get used to it
If you read back you’ll see I stated on his weaker foot when pressed. I have no issue with us working the ball out from the back. We’re good at it for most of the time. When we’re not, like a few times on Saturday we should get the ball away from danger, pronto.
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Torres drives the ball forward with purpose his passes are that of a midfielder
Whereas Mings and Carlos tend to hit the ball over the top with height like defenders tend to do, Konsa passes back or sideways his passing stats must be 100% as there’s mostly no risk involved
Torres looks to go forward he’s progressive he’s the only one of our central defenders who’s capable of doing it
he lacks physicality and gets bullied at times he wouldn’t be getting into Sean Dyche’s team but his input in the way we play is massive
In the same way as we’ve all been waiting for the Kamara/Onana midfield partnership thinking it might work but not knowing until it’s tried I would like to see the Torres/Mings partnership again now he’s back from injury, I think it could be our best duo but until it’s tried a few times we can’t judge
Torres in my opinion is one of the best footballers we have at the club
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Hoping for a quick recovery. Looks like an ankle roll, but not 100% sure on that.
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Hoping for a quick recovery. Looks like an ankle roll, but not 100% sure on that.
I didn't see it happen live, and they didn't show a replay - but the way he was helped around the pitch by two physios (not even putting his foot on the ground) does not bode well. He couldn't even hobble on it.
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Hoping for a quick recovery. Looks like an ankle roll, but not 100% sure on that.
I didn't see it happen live, and they didn't show a replay - but the way he was helped around the pitch by two physios (not even putting his foot on the ground) does not bode well. He couldn't even hobble on it.
How they helped him off doesn't really make much difference, could just be that they weren't sure what he'd done so the medical team decided to not let him put weight on it until it could be properly checked. It might be nasty but I don't think anything that happened gives away too many clues.
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Sounds like broken metatarsal, not great but better than feared.
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Sounds like broken metatarsal, not great but better than feared.
Isn’t that quite a lengthy absence?
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6-8 weeks depending on whether he gets Ramsey complications.
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6-8 weeks depending on whether he gets Ramsey complications.
Checks name of club.
Yes there will be complications. Out for the season.
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
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Right now I think we need a spell of Mings organising the defence. Any injury to Paul might be a blessing.
They’re all fantastic players individually but collectively we are weak. Mings might sort that out.
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
Only if you assume it’s just a personnel issue, which it isn’t, at least not in entirety. Clearly that’s at play (see Konsa tonight). But every single defender has shown they can be very good - in spite of some of the narratives floating around - but the problem is that the defensive system within the team just is not functioning. We end up playing like a load of individuals defending, rather than a team and it’s why individual mistakes are getting punished so much. If you have a functional system a lot of those individual errors get swallowed up - not all, but enough that with the amount of goals we do score it shouldn’t matter. We just don’t look like we’re coached around how to defend.
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Totally agree with this
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The ease in which their forward stepped inside him tonight was embarrassing I thought. Very unfortunate injury but just the opportunity Mings needed.
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
We've apparently got that young Turkish left sided CB coming in in Jan.
Sure the idea was he'd be more of a medium > long term consideration and he might even go back out on loan. But with Pau's injury he might see some benchtime.
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The ease in which their forward stepped inside him tonight was embarrassing I thought. Very unfortunate injury but just the opportunity Mings needed.
I pretty much guarantee that for the second goal had it been Pau standing where Mings was he’d have been criticised for not getting out closer to the Brighton player (Mings did nothing wrong by the way, but some would have slated Pau had it been him). Not particularly aimed at you, but the micro focus on anything Pau is bonkers. That first goal was down to two fuck-ups by Konsa, the second one you wouldn’t expect in an under 10’s game. Pau had been in entirely the right position originally, but Konsa’s first error left everyone completely exposed.
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
100%. Cash Konsa Mings Digne .
It really isn't difficult
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That offside trap was the envy of the league last season so the defensive unit was certainly well drilled and functioning like a team then. We seem to have either abandoned it or been found out.
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The ease in which their forward stepped inside him tonight was embarrassing I thought. Very unfortunate injury but just the opportunity Mings needed.
I pretty much guarantee that for the second goal had it been Pau standing where Mings was he’d have been criticised for not getting out closer to the Brighton player (Mings did nothing wrong by the way, but some would have slated Pau had it been him). Not particularly aimed at you, but the micro focus on anything Pau is bonkers. That first goal was down to two fuck-ups by Konsa, the second one you wouldn’t expect in an under 10’s game. Pau had been in entirely the right position originally, but Konsa’s first error left everyone completely exposed.
Agreed Konsa was an embarrassment for that goal. Also our RCB is not even back in our box by the time they score, Torres is trying to bail out those two clowns. But he's caught horribly flat footed all the same.
Not sure about the second but we seem to be conceding a lot of shots from the edge of our box. Martinez at his best might save it too
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Konsa's reaction to every goal we concede is a dramatic toddler-stomp on the ground and a round of fucks. I hope it's himself that he's berating, as he's often the fecker at fault.
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
100%. Cash Konsa Mings Digne .
It really isn't difficult
The problem is can mings play week in week out after that injury. We may have to get a loan signing in now
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Konsa's reaction to every goal we concede is a dramatic toddler-stomp on the ground and a round of fucks. I hope it's himself that he's berating, as he's often the fecker at fault.
He has turned into a moany lad, hasn’t he? That plus the fall-over-pick-the-ball-up free kick gimmick, which works 4 times in 5, but when it doesn’t… (SJM another sinner here).
Thought that Mings’ fitness difficulties in the last 10 mins went some way to explaining why his game time has been severely limited the past few months.
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Konsa's reaction to every goal we concede is a dramatic toddler-stomp on the ground and a round of fucks. I hope it's himself that he's berating, as he's often the fecker at fault.
He has turned into a moany lad, hasn’t he? That plus the fall-over-pick-the-ball-up free kick gimmick, which works 4 times in 5, but when it doesn’t… (SJM another sinner here).
Thought that Mings’ fitness difficulties in the last 10 mins went some way to explaining why his game time has been severely limited the past few months.
His problems late on were becauase he got kicked and was feeling it, not a lack of overall fitness.
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I don't get why Konsa was moaning after the first goal - it was his inability to be aggressive and sort that ball out that cost us
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I don't get why Konsa was moaning after the first goal - it was his inability to be aggressive and sort that ball out that cost us
100%. No effort to get body position on the attacker.....really poor.
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Konsa's reaction to every goal we concede is a dramatic toddler-stomp on the ground and a round of fucks. I hope it's himself that he's berating, as he's often the fecker at fault.
He has turned into a moany lad, hasn’t he? That plus the fall-over-pick-the-ball-up free kick gimmick, which works 4 times in 5, but when it doesn’t… (SJM another sinner here).
Thought that Mings’ fitness difficulties in the last 10 mins went some way to explaining why his game time has been severely limited the past few months.
His problems late on were becauase he got kicked and was feeling it, not a lack of overall fitness.
Missed that. Assumed it was cramp of sorts as it seemed to recur.
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Konsa's reaction to every goal we concede is a dramatic toddler-stomp on the ground and a round of fucks. I hope it's himself that he's berating, as he's often the fecker at fault.
He has turned into a moany lad, hasn’t he? That plus the fall-over-pick-the-ball-up free kick gimmick, which works 4 times in 5, but when it doesn’t… (SJM another sinner here).
Thought that Mings’ fitness difficulties in the last 10 mins went some way to explaining why his game time has been severely limited the past few months.
His problems late on were becauase he got kicked and was feeling it, not a lack of overall fitness.
Missed that. Assumed it was cramp of sorts as it seemed to recur.
He looked really uncomfortable just after it happened and I suspect he'd have gone off if we'd not used all our subs. You could see he was struggling to sprint in the last 10.
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I've never known so many injuries .
How did we win the league in 81 with 14 players when the pitches were a lot worse and the tackling was far more aggressive .
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Because they were proper men or some fucking bullshit.
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We didn't play as many games, and we seem to have been a bit lucky, too. We made up for that in the following years, especially re: Shaw, obviously.
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The game was a lot slower as well. These guys now are seriously pushing the human body to its limits.
Also they're glove-wearing ponces and so on.
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
100%. Cash Konsa Mings Digne .
It really isn't difficult
The problem is can mings play week in week out after that injury. We may have to get a loan signing in now
Mings seemed to be cramping up quite badly and clutching his calf in the closing stages last night. Hopefully it was just cramp and not an injury.
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Because they were proper men or some fucking bullshit.
Although having said that, there were a fair number of suspiciously 'flamboyant' haircuts amongst them, often with a hint of highlighting going on (Shaw, Morley, Geddis for example).
See, we won the league WITH A BUNCH OF POOFTERS. How come this lot can't hack it?
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Geddis was naturally blonde in my opinion. No peroxide required.
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A little a Geddis story from a long time ago
If I remember rightly Geddis was our record signing at the time
He turned up and didn’t score for quite a few games
We went down to White Hart Lane, I went with my mate who is older than me and we had to go in with the Home fans.
He was very insistent that if we did score I didn’t jump around or say anything, no problem I said
Geddis scored his first goal for us,
my mate, who had been giving me the lecture jumped around shouting his head off like a loon, Spurs fans standing around us weren’t pleased I’m fearing for my life he then pointed at Geddis and said I’ve waited 12 games to see that.
We had to leave early
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His injury might force us to improve our donkey defence.
100%. Cash Konsa Mings Digne .
It really isn't difficult
The problem is can mings play week in week out after that injury. We may have to get a loan signing in now
Mings seemed to be cramping up quite badly and clutching his calf in the closing stages last night. Hopefully it was just cramp and not an injury.
.thats the worry. If mings gets injured who plays cb? I think kamara has played there but he is on the small side. Probably would need to get a loan player in or a youngster as cover
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2 months out for Torres.
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Jesus Fucking Christ.
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FFS, that leaves us very thin on the ground.
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Better than I was expecting tbh.
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Better than I was expecting tbh.
Same!
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Torres is one of my favourite players and essential to how we play.
Big chance for Mings now to get himself established again.
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Better than I was expecting tbh.
Same!
I'm absolutely certain his recovery will go without a hiccup.
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That’s not so bad but we really need Mings to step up, just like Ollie did in his first match back in for Duran.
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2 months out for Torres.
See him next season then .
The big concern is Mings gets injured , then we really are in trouble .
I am expecting a loan CB incoming next week or after .
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2 months out for Torres.
surprised it's not more - look how long it's taken JJ to recover from a broken bone in his foot.
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He's going to miss at least 12 games & expecting Mings to cover 3 games in a week is not going to happen. I thought Carlos played on the left in a lot of his games in Spain. Anyway, I don't think we'll be any weaker defensively than we already are.
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Probably scuppers loaning Swinkels out.
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At least this happened on Dec 30th and not Jan 30th.
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2 months out for Torres.
surprised it's not more - look how long it's taken JJ to recover from a broken bone in his foot.
Yes but Pau's body was built by the abundance of natural healthy food in Castellón where as our Jacob has been weaned on chicken tikka and fish & chips all his life.
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Probably scuppers loaning Swinkels out.
Swinkels has no Premier League experience at all so I'd be surprised if he suddenly becomes Mings' back-up.
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I’ll take your “surprised” and raise you a horrified.
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Just our luck. We will probably bring someone in to replace him but it means we can’t bring Carlos’ replacement in.
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2 months out for Torres.
surprised it's not more - look how long it's taken JJ to recover from a broken bone in his foot.
Yes but Pau's body was built by the abundance of natural healthy food in Castellón where as our Jacob has been weaned on chicken tikka and fish & chips all his life.
Ha! A bit xenophobic to the great folk of Great Barr though.
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Replace the Chicken Tikka with Lamb Doner and he would be closer.
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Pau Torres has suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for around two months.
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We all suspected this. Only good thing is thats its happened now so we can get a replacement in. Do wonder whether we will register torres for CL next phase if we get there
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Why wouldn't you?
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Why wouldn't you?
Yeah, would also be interested in this.
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Because it's Demitri and he suspects the worst in everything. Probably expecting 2 years rather than 2 months.
And we've all experienced the Villa Injury curse...
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When is he due back?
We didn't look terrible today, considering, but Spurs didn't offer much for most of the game. But the idea of Pau and his passing combining with the attacking play we saw today is exciting.
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When Pau Torres grows up he wants to be Boubacar Kamara.
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Let's not get carried away. Spurs were awful for a large part of that game, and the still scored, and Emi made a couple of great saves.
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Pau Torres, Andres Garcia and Marco Asensio.
The day is coming for the 3 amigos to start. It going to happen this season
I would forecast when all 3 do will see football at its finest!
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How long is Amigo Uno out for?
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Pau Torres has suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for around two months.
This was posted on the 3rd January, so probably a month before being considered fully fit.
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Ta.
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Hopefully be back for fa cup game with diasi not allowed to play. Looking forward to his return
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I think we will be seeing him in training then but not back playing. Unless we are really desperate, I would state aim for the April matches.
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I think we will be seeing him in training then but not back playing. Unless we are really desperate, I would state aim for the April matches.
Broken bones in the foot are not an easy fix - cf Ramsey.
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I know, that was me aiming for best case recovery time.
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If I remember rightly they rushed Saint Beckham back after seven weeks for the World Cup and he clearly wasn't anywhere near fit enough. So I think you can add another four weeks from when it was done.
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I think we will be seeing him in training then but not back playing. Unless we are really desperate, I would state aim for the April matches.
Broken bones in the foot are not an easy fix - cf Ramsey.
These are the kind of injuries we never seem to have much luck with. I think being happy to see him back before the end of the season is probably a good starting point for expectations.
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I think we will be seeing him in training then but not back playing. Unless we are really desperate, I would state aim for the April matches.
Broken bones in the foot are not an easy fix - cf Ramsey.
Ramsey was a very unusual case, 6 weeks to be back training is fairly normal so we'll probably see him on the training pictures fairly soon, unless there's problems.
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I think we will be seeing him in training then but not back playing. Unless we are really desperate, I would state aim for the April matches.
Broken bones in the foot are not an easy fix - cf Ramsey.
Bowen seemed to have a good recovery time lets hope Pau is similar
Ramsey was a very unusual case, 6 weeks to be back training is fairly normal so we'll probably see him on the training pictures fairly soon, unless there's problems.
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I think we will be seeing him in training then but not back playing. Unless we are really desperate, I would state aim for the April matches.
Broken bones in the foot are not an easy fix - cf Ramsey.
Bowen seemed to have a good recovery time lets hope Pau is similar
Ramsey was a very unusual case, 6 weeks to be back training is fairly normal so we'll probably see him on the training pictures fairly soon, unless there's problems.
Bowen had a fractured metatarsal, and was back playing about 5 weeks later. It all depends on the nature of the injury. A fracture is easier to recover from that a break. They never revealed the full extent of the injury, beyond saying "two months", so I suspect his break is slightly worse than Bowen's fracture.
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John Townley said hopefully back for Champions League matches
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On his way back
https://x.com/gabsavfc_/status/1889781279266132145?s=46
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Good news for the squad .
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Still reckon March though.
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Skinny fecker, isn't he? No wonder big lads like "Raul" bully him.
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Skinny fecker, isn't he? No wonder big lads like "Raul" bully him.
I’m amazed he hasn’t been told to bulk up, it wouldn’t impact his mobility or ability to pick passes. When Rhodri chooses to do it in CM then it seems an obvious choice for a CD.
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Skinny fecker, isn't he? No wonder big lads like "Raul" bully him.
I’m amazed he hasn’t been told to bulk up, it wouldn’t impact his mobility or ability to pick passes. When Rhodri chooses to do it in CM then it seems an obvious choice for a CD.
It impacted Gabby's mobility.
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Good news for the squad .
Agreed. Mings on the bench will be a great option.
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Skinny fecker, isn't he? No wonder big lads like "Raul" bully him.
I’m amazed he hasn’t been told to bulk up, it wouldn’t impact his mobility or ability to pick passes. When Rhodri chooses to do it in CM then it seems an obvious choice for a CD.
There was an interview with him last season, fairly early in his Villa career, where he talked about being on a specific plan with the goal of bulking up but not losing mobility. So either he was really skinny when he joined, or they gave up on it.
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Good news for the squad .
Agreed. Mings on the bench will be a great option.
Clearly Mings should never start if Torres is available.
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Good news for the squad .
Agreed. Mings on the bench will be a great option.
Clearly Mings should never start if Torres is available.
Not in my book.
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There are games for Mings and games for Torres. I would want Mings in if we are playing a shithouse team with height. E.G. Everton, Forest, Newcastle probably.
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Good news for the squad .
Agreed. Mings on the bench will be a great option.
Clearly Mings should never start if Torres is available.
Why? Mings has made a few errors. So has torres. I think rotation is key for both personally.
I would love to see mings and torres play together.
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Seems he's on the normal recovery path for that type of injury then. Full training next week and available in early March would be my guess.
As things stand it looks like we'll be getting most on them back over the next few weeks, right as we're hitting a key part of the season.
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Good news for the squad .
Agreed. Mings on the bench will be a great option.
Clearly Mings should never start if Torres is available.
Why? Mings has made a few errors. So has torres. I think rotation is key for both personally.
I would love to see mings and torres play together.
I personally think Pau is miles better overall. That’s not to say there aren’t games where Mings might be a better option but more often than not, I’m playing Pau.
I’m not convinced about either of them on the right side.
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I’d love to see Pau play a game in midfield. Not as a first choice, but if we were light on numbers. It would be interesting to see how well he’d do as a #6
Maybe if we are 3-0 up against Brugge after the first leg and he has a go in the 2nd.
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Good news for the squad .
Agreed. Mings on the bench will be a great option.
Clearly Mings should never start if Torres is available.
Why? Mings has made a few errors. So has torres. I think rotation is key for both personally.
I would love to see mings and torres play together.
Mings the better defender by far . Torres better passer , problem is he weakens us physically in the middle . Horses for courses with them pair.
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I’d love to see Pau play a game in midfield. Not as a first choice, but if we were light on numbers. It would be interesting to see how well he’d do as a #6
Maybe if we are 3-0 up against Brugge after the first leg and he has a go in the 2nd.
I think his lack of pace would be exposed.
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Also we have decent passing in midfield already, but his value is that we have the option to play killer passes from further back to beat any mid-press. Move him forward and we potentially lose a passing option AND he is in a more congested area with less space. An example of where that move failed is with TTA at Liverpool. When in possession (and not bombing forward), he can step into the space in midfield left as the other player press more forward and make it, giving him time to pick out the right ball. But when England thought it would be a good idea to start him there, he had less time and space to play the passes and was ineffective.
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I’d love to see Pau play a game in midfield. Not as a first choice, but if we were light on numbers. It would be interesting to see how well he’d do as a #6
Maybe if we are 3-0 up against Brugge after the first leg and he has a go in the 2nd.
I think his lack of pace would be exposed.
And lack of physicality. Pace and strength are both key ingredients in the Prem.
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He's also got everything in front of him playing where he is. We don't know whether he could play on the half turn or not, which is essential in our midfielders. As good as he is, even Kamara's made some mistakes doing that before now.
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Pau needs a dominant CB next to him. Konsa is too similar (passive) but without the passing ability.
So we’re looking at either Disasi or Mings next to Pau, or Mings next to Konsa in my opinion. Konsa at RB could also work where they become a three in possession.
Somehow we need to trial Mings as the right CB as that could unlock everything.
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Pau needs a dominant CB next to him. Konsa is too similar (passive) but without the passing ability.
So we’re looking at either Disasi or Mings next to Pau, or Mings next to Konsa in my opinion. Konsa at RB could also work where they become a three in possession.
Somehow we need to trial Mings as the right CB as that could unlock everything.
Konsa/Disasi/Pau + a left-back would be ideal in the biggest games. You really wouldn’t want Cash in there against the likes of Bayern or Madrid.
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Pau needs a dominant CB next to him. Konsa is too similar (passive) but without the passing ability.
So we’re looking at either Disasi or Mings next to Pau, or Mings next to Konsa in my opinion. Konsa at RB could also work where they become a three in possession.
Somehow we need to trial Mings as the right CB as that could unlock everything.
Konsa/Disasi/Pau + a left-back would be ideal in the biggest games. You really wouldn’t want Cash in there against the likes of Bayern or Madrid.
Plus it would give Konsa the opportunity to completely shut down Vinicius again like he did on his England debut.
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Pau needs a dominant CB next to him. Konsa is too similar (passive) but without the passing ability.
So we’re looking at either Disasi or Mings next to Pau, or Mings next to Konsa in my opinion. Konsa at RB could also work where they become a three in possession.
Somehow we need to trial Mings as the right CB as that could unlock everything.
Konsa/Disasi/Pau + a left-back would be ideal in the biggest games. You really wouldn’t want Cash in there against the likes of Bayern or Madrid.
Plus it would give Konsa the opportunity to completely shut down Vinicius again like he did on his England debut.
I seem to recall that Bayern tried every winger they had against him to no noticeable effect.
Konsa/Carlos/Pau/Digne or Maatsen - the 4th best defence in the CL league phase. Or ‘the dreaded Konsa experiment’ as some call it.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
Nor Konsa or Chaos Carlos. Our defence has been sh*t for ages including every CB mentioned here. Mings at RCB 🤨.
We played with no recognised CBs v Spurs when Konsa limped off and it was the best we played at the back for ages.
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Pau needs a dominant CB next to him. Konsa is too similar (passive) but without the passing ability.
So we’re looking at either Disasi or Mings next to Pau, or Mings next to Konsa in my opinion. Konsa at RB could also work where they become a three in possession.
Somehow we need to trial Mings as the right CB as that could unlock everything.
Konsa/Disasi/Pau + a left-back would be ideal in the biggest games. You really wouldn’t want Cash in there against the likes of Bayern or Madrid.
Plus it would give Konsa the opportunity to completely shut down Vinicius again like he did on his England debut.
I seem to recall that Bayern tried every winger they had against him to no noticeable effect.
Konsa/Carlos/Pau/Digne or Maatsen - the 4th best defence in the CL league phase. Or ‘the dreaded Konsa experiment’ as some call it.
I don’t want to give Percy more data but Saka said the England Squad’s wingers would practice against Konsa because he was the best.
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He’s an excellent player, integral to us being in the Champions League.
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He's also got everything in front of him playing where he is. We don't know whether he could play on the half turn or not, which is essential in our midfielders. As good as he is, even Kamara's made some mistakes doing that before now.
Too flat footed to play midfield . He will be a great squad player as CB for the less physical games where he can concentrate on his passing game from the back.
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I've said this before, but I was the Sunday league Pau Torres. It's uncanny. Left sided centre half, good on the ball, tall, slim, dashingly handsome, but if up against a big number 9 who wanted to put his weight on me, I had to find another way (let him have the ball infront of the backline fwiw). I'm guessing it's easier against a heavyweight with no legs than a Premier League unit who can run too.
I say this because 1) I think it's funny, plus enjoy watching him because of the similarities and 2) I thought I could play in midfield and did on occasion...but it's a different game. He's an 8/10 in defence, but he'd be a 6/10 in the middle. His physical attributes and mind are suited to having the game in front of him.
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I know he loves his paella from his tweets but if he could bulk up a bit (steaks/gym) and gain that physicality he'd become a better all round CB. I'm sure Emery is on to it .
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Nah, I reckon with all the specialists we have that I don't think they have ever considered it...
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And that's the problem .
I'm sure they're onto it now .
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Certainly hope not. Bulking him up would ruin him. Not every player has to be George Elokobi.
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And that's the problem .
I'm sure they're onto it now .
The problem is people who know more than we could ever on the subject have considered it and haven't turned him into Akinfenwa? OK.
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I know he loves his paella from his tweets but if he could bulk up a bit (steaks/gym) and gain that physicality he'd become a better all round CB. I'm sure Emery is on to it .
If he could only grow a big tash and hurry up about it, focus in training on smashing into tackles really really hard and also when he needs to, just fucking the ball really high in the air. We’d start to have a player.
None of this beating forwards with skill and breaking defensive and midfield lines, with the sweetest most accurate passing. Who needs that kind of shit, certainly not Emery’s Villa.
The big tash first though.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
Nor Konsa or Chaos Carlos. Our defence has been sh*t for ages including every CB mentioned here.
Still struggling to remember who played in which games I see. You can look all this up you know, rather than going on vibes.
And I agree that we’ve been mostly shit (defensively) since the end of Emery’s first half season when we were great, but it’s the preference for the MOST shit defence over the one that’s sometimes shit, sometimes competent and sometimes outstandingly good that I find strange.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
He started in at least one of our multiple CL clean sheets along with the other three more or less permanent fixtures so I thought I should give him credit.
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Totally agree with you R&B, Torres is such a unique centre half in his ability to pass the ball out of defence, as well as he does.
I’d rather concentrate on what he is good at, not what he is not so good at, but you can say that about any player, especially on here.
I guess you decide whether the positives out weight the negatives, and Torres is worth it I would say, but having an option like Mings to go up against someone like Delap today is a good one to have.
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And that's the problem .
I'm sure they're onto it now .
The problem is people who know more than we could ever on the subject have considered it and haven't turned him into Akinfenwa? OK.
A small Asian comic actor that seems to be in everything at the moment?
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And that's the problem .
I'm sure they're onto it now .
The problem is people who know more than we could ever on the subject have considered it and haven't turned him into Akinfenwa? OK.
A small Asian comic actor that seems to be in everything at the moment?
Ol' Awks does seem to have come from nowhere in recent years. Well, for me, anyway.
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Nobody is saying turn him into Giant haystacks , just needs to gain more upper body strength to deal with players like Delap and Wood etc
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Obviously.
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Nobody is saying turn him into Giant haystacks , just needs to gain more upper body strength to deal with players like Delap and Wood etc
Our two defenders with more upper body strength were not successful in stopping Delap scoring today.
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Nobody is saying turn him into Giant haystacks , just needs to gain more upper body strength to deal with players like Delap and Wood etc
Our two defenders with more upper body strength were not successful in stopping Delap scoring today.
Totally different type of goal which I think you know. Problem was Maatsen getting skinned alive then a great cross dividing McGinn Disasi and Mings and a really good finish. Nothing like say the Raul goal at Fulham .
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Back in full training
A very welcome boost! Suddenly we looking alot healthier at cb all of a sudden
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He needs to partner both Disasi and Kamara to make it about 15 different partnerships. Has he played with Bogarde in the centre yet this season as well?
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Lovely stuff. Get a midfielder or two back and things are starting to look pretty healthy again.
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He needs to partner both Disasi and Kamara to make it about 15 different partnerships. Has he played with Bogarde in the centre yet this season as well?
That has to be some kind of record surely? Madness that we have had this, this season
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He needs to partner both Disasi and Kamara to make it about 15 different partnerships. Has he played with Bogarde in the centre yet this season as well?
and Mings
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
Nor Konsa or Chaos Carlos. Our defence has been sh*t for ages including every CB mentioned here.
Must have been confusing for you when the entire right-side of our defence was made up of those two and it performed so much better than the one you prefer.
I mean, not only is the bloke who has played RB, RCB & LCB for England a “massive drop off” from the bloke who has given away more penalties than every other Premier League player since his debut, and found an international career on Ancestry.com, but he had the added handicap (according to you) of playing next to Carlos. And yet the only real massive drop off (outside your fevered imagination) is in the number of clean sheets we kept when your man played. You must think Pau and Digne were McGrath and Maldini in disguise to help Konsa and Carlos become the fourth best defence in the CL so far and keep somewhere between double and treble the amount of clean sheets as we did when Cash played.
It’s like saying there’s a massive drop off from Samatta to Watkins.
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Glad Pau is back will massively help our ability to play out from the back.
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Glad Pau is back will massively help our ability to play out from the back.
Yep, he is so important in how we play, up there with Kamara in that sense.
I appreciate he's not the greatest defensively, but *looks at all the others*
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Indeed. We need to maximise our strength, which is attacking, certainly in the short-term. The defensive issues clearly aren’t getting solved until the summer at the earliest. Pau and Kamara give us that link from the back to unlock the potential of the attack.
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I reckon Pau and Disasi will be good together and will fit how we want to play really well.
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Assume he'll be eased back in gradually , bench v Brentford for example.
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What’s our record like when Torres and Kamara both play?
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Assume he'll be eased back in gradually , bench v Brentford for example.
Pretty good these medical people as it was suggested way back that he would be back in time for the champions league game at home
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Glad Pau is back will massively help our ability to play out from the back.
Yep, he is so important in how we play, up there with Kamara in that sense.
I appreciate he's not the greatest defensively, but *looks at all the others*
You know what, this is a great point. We concede a shitload anyway, we might as well concede a shitload whilst playing sexy football.
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Haven’t looked at numbers, but doesn’t feel like the goals against has improved at all since he’s been out. Lots of other injuries have obviously influenced, but Pau was beginning to become a scapegoat for our defensive problems, for some.
It will actually take some of the pressure off Tielemans to be the main creative outlet, with Torres back soon.
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Obviously to all but the severely deluded, our most effective defence since Mings got injured at Newcastle has been Carlis/Pau with Konsa at right-back.So I hold out the hope that Disasi/Pau with Konsa at right-back can be as effective, if not moreso.
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What’s our record like when Torres and Kamara both play?
Better than anything else as long as he was partnered with Carlos, with Konsa at right-back.
But that defence has been outstanding on occasion without Kamara.
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Haven’t looked at numbers, but doesn’t feel like the goals against has improved at all since he’s been out. Lots of other injuries have obviously influenced, but Pau was beginning to become a scapegoat for our defensive problems, for some.
It will actually take some of the pressure off Tielemans to be the main creative outlet, with Torres back soon.
There is that. Mings with the ball is a bit sad really and defensively hasn't improved us either. Torres can step up and be another midfielder at times.
But Torres was also really poor defensively when fit. Spurs away, Leipzig, Fulham. He has lost a bit of confidence in his playmaking pre injury too I thought, running into trouble a bit, that error in Leipzig.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
Nor Konsa or Chaos Carlos. Our defence has been sh*t for ages including every CB mentioned here.
Must have been confusing for you when the entire right-side of our defence was made up of those two and it performed so much better than the one you prefer.
I mean, not only is the bloke who has played RB, RCB & LCB for England a “massive drop off” from the bloke who has given away more penalties than every other Premier League player since his debut, and found an international career on Ancestry.com, but he had the added handicap (according to you) of playing next to Carlos. And yet the only real massive drop off (outside your fevered imagination) is in the number of clean sheets we kept when your man played. You must think Pau and Digne were McGrath and Maldini in disguise to help Konsa and Carlos become the fourth best defence in the CL so far and keep somewhere between double and treble the amount of clean sheets as we did when Cash played.
It’s like saying there’s a massive drop off from Samatta to Watkins.
Tired and emotional again? Carlos is gone and he isn't coming back.
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Away games in Europe first legs have always been about keeping it tight at the back. Football may have changed a lot , this hasn't. Playing Torres would be a huge mistake . Stick with the strong defence for this one.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
Nor Konsa or Chaos Carlos. Our defence has been sh*t for ages including every CB mentioned here.
Must have been confusing for you when the entire right-side of our defence was made up of those two and it performed so much better than the one you prefer.
I mean, not only is the bloke who has played RB, RCB & LCB for England a “massive drop off” from the bloke who has given away more penalties than every other Premier League player since his debut, and found an international career on Ancestry.com, but he had the added handicap (according to you) of playing next to Carlos. And yet the only real massive drop off (outside your fevered imagination) is in the number of clean sheets we kept when your man played. You must think Pau and Digne were McGrath and Maldini in disguise to help Konsa and Carlos become the fourth best defence in the CL so far and keep somewhere between double and treble the amount of clean sheets as we did when Cash played.
It’s like saying there’s a massive drop off from Samatta to Watkins.
Tired and emotional again? Carlos is gone and he isn't coming back.
The post was about your oft-repeated bollocks that Cash is a massive upgrade on Konsa. But seeing as you can’t quite grasp the idea that better defences concede fewer goals than worse ones, expecting you to know that Konsa was the England player I was referring to is probably a bit ambitious.
Did you Google ‘what should I post on the internet in the absence of any evidence to support my argument’ or did you come up with this trolling strategy with your own tiny mind? You’ve been doing it quite a lot lately - like the homophobic slurs that were your last desperate attempt at deflection.
I liked it better though when you pretended you could read Emery’s mind like a slow-witted, bigoted Clinton Baptiste.
Whatever your avoidance strategy though, please keep doing the parody player ratings that everybody laughs at.
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Away games in Europe first legs have always been about keeping it tight at the back. Football may have changed a lot , this hasn't. Playing Torres would be a huge mistake . Stick with the strong defence for this one.
Erm, which strong defense would this be?
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Away games in Europe first legs have always been about keeping it tight at the back. Football may have changed a lot , this hasn't. Playing Torres would be a huge mistake . Stick with the strong defence for this one.
Erm, which strong defense would this be?
I was thinking that as well.
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Away games in Europe first legs have always been about keeping it tight at the back. Football may have changed a lot , this hasn't. Playing Torres would be a huge mistake . Stick with the strong defence for this one.
We haven’t had a strong defence, just one that has been much worse on the ball. You said it would be with Mings replacing Pau, yet we’ve not seen that at all. Funny.
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Away games in Europe first legs have always been about keeping it tight at the back. Football may have changed a lot , this hasn't. Playing Torres would be a huge mistake . Stick with the strong defence for this one.
We haven’t had a strong defence, just one that has been much worse on the ball. You said it would be with Mings replacing Pau, yet we’ve not seen that at all. Funny.
Yeah weird that, it’s almost as if it’s not all down to one individual. One thing that is noticeable though we are significantly less fluid going forward without Pau.
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When Torres plays we play more offensively. There are less shoot ourselves in the foot moments generally because the ball isn't constantly recycling across our box.
I'd expect with Asensio playing as a 10 that Torres will be able to find an out ball far more easily too.
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Both Torres and Kamara need to be in the team for us to work effectively at controlling games.
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I wouldn't include Maatsen's name in that.
Nor Konsa or Chaos Carlos. Our defence has been sh*t for ages including every CB mentioned here.
Must have been confusing for you when the entire right-side of our defence was made up of those two and it performed so much better than the one you prefer.
I mean, not only is the bloke who has played RB, RCB & LCB for England a “massive drop off” from the bloke who has given away more penalties than every other Premier League player since his debut, and found an international career on Ancestry.com, but he had the added handicap (according to you) of playing next to Carlos. And yet the only real massive drop off (outside your fevered imagination) is in the number of clean sheets we kept when your man played. You must think Pau and Digne were McGrath and Maldini in disguise to help Konsa and Carlos become the fourth best defence in the CL so far and keep somewhere between double and treble the amount of clean sheets as we did when Cash played.
It’s like saying there’s a massive drop off from Samatta to Watkins.
Tired and emotional again? Carlos is gone and he isn't coming back.
The post was about your oft-repeated bollocks that Cash is a massive upgrade on Konsa. But seeing as you can’t quite grasp the idea that better defences concede fewer goals than worse ones, expecting you to know that Konsa was the England player I was referring to is probably a bit ambitious.
Did you Google ‘what should I post on the internet in the absence of any evidence to support my argument’ or did you come up with this trolling strategy with your own tiny mind? You’ve been doing it quite a lot lately - like the homophobic slurs that were your last desperate attempt at deflection.
I liked it better though when you pretended you could read Emery’s mind like a slow-witted, bigoted Clinton Baptiste.
Whatever your avoidance strategy though, please keep doing the parody player ratings that everybody laughs at.
Homophobic slurs? I think you need help at this point
Cash is a far better right back than Konsa in my view. As a OP put it "clean sheets" aren't the "incontrovertible truth" you continue to paint it to be, I think we are a far better balanced team with Cash at right back. His limitations in the attacking third notwithstanding. The ongoing sh*t show in the middle (including Disasi's Carlos impression at Palace) isn't his, or Digne's issue.
It's a similar discussion here on Torres. He is to my eye a very average defender that is easily got at by bog standard PL forwards. But he can be an outstanding player with the ball at his left foot. I thought bringing Mings back in would make us defensively stronger but that absolutely has not worked. So as others are saying here we might be a better team if/when Torres gets back in, defensively we can't be any worse in any case.
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Well done, you made it about football.
To say that there is a “massive drop off” from the right-back who played in the outstanding performances that got us into the CL in the first place, who did brilliantly when playing for England there, who was a huge part of our defensive performances that led to us being the fourth best defence in the CL league stage, to Matty Cash is ridiculously OTT.
Although we can’t be certain, I’m pretty sure we would have at least drawn one of the games out of Man City at home and Arsenal home or away last season, and as a result wouldn’t have qualified for CL. Then once in the CL, one goal conceded v Bayern or Juventus and we wouldn’t be playing tonight. That’s how important clean sheets are. When Emery positively, absolutely thinks we’ll need one because he thinks we’ll probably only score one goal, or indeed none, he picked Konsa there and was proven right to do so. And yet you call it ‘the dreaded Konsa experiment’ ad nauseum and attach absolutely zero credit to the players that achieved them, even belittling our CL clean sheets as easy and no big deal whenever those brilliant results and performances are mentioned. It’s tiresome and silly. Shall we wait and see which games we’re still posting about in ten years, or do we already know?
Whatever one’s views about balance, a “massive drop off” from Cash to Konsa is just stupid when you look at the results of it happening.
Emi to Olsen is a massive drop off, and there’s evidence to prove it. Cash to Konsa isn’t, and there’s evidence to prove that as well. Which is why I post evidence, and you post vibes and call me silly names like Petal, which is a homophobic slur. Ok Duck Egg?
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It’s going to be tricky to get him back up to speed and in the team, as it’s unusual to swap central defenders mid-match. Add to that the two week break we have and it’s a challenge for Unai. It wouldn’t surprise me if we arrange a friendly for Torres, Barkley and Onana to get them up to match fitness.
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It’s going to be tricky to get him back up to speed and in the team, as it’s unusual to swap central defenders mid-match. Add to that the two week break we have and it’s a challenge for Unai. It wouldn’t surprise me if we arrange a friendly for Torres, Barkley and Onana to get them up to match fitness.
Even so, it’s good to have them all back
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I'm sure you've been called far worse, Percy ;)
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There's an older lady at work who calls people Petal, I'll have a word with her tomorrow, the silly old homophobe.
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Percy - Brontebilly - don't take this the wrong way, but can you have this endless loop of an argument about the defence / best right back pairing by PM or sort it out in a pub car park or something?
The entire debate is so depressing to watch and it always seems to get - to be honest - quite unpleasantly confrontational, and not very H&V.
I know you both firmly believe in your stand points, and that's admirable, but it's getting a bit grim now.
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I cant wait to see pau back in the side. Just for his passing. Mings now has competition there so will have to do his best to keep the shirt
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I cant wait to see pau back in the side. Just for his passing. Mings now has competition there so will have to do his best to keep the shirt
What we don't need is to start leaking goals again. Mings when still fit has to start as borne out by the stats , even him playing not fully fit we are 8 unbeaten.
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Hendrie was a bit cheeky suggesting that Torres slots straight back into the side when they interviewed Mings on Sky after the game. Classy response from the Ty guy.
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I cant wait to see pau back in the side. Just for his passing. Mings now has competition there so will have to do his best to keep the shirt
What we don't need is to start leaking goals again. Mings when still fit has to start as borne out by the stats , even him playing not fully fit we are 8 unbeaten.
I really like Mings for all the obvious reasons no one needs anyone to repeat. But Cardiff and yesterday are the only two games we haven’t let in goals. Praise Mings, he deserves it, hammer home over and over on several threads as you do, that he should always start, but lets not pretend, Mings being in over Torres over the last couple of months has completely shored up our defence, that just simply isn’t true.
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Percy - Brontebilly - don't take this the wrong way, but can you have this endless loop of an argument about the defence / best right back pairing by PM or sort it out in a pub car park or something?
Agreed. It’s fucking boring, and clearly not going anywhere.
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I cant wait to see pau back in the side. Just for his passing. Mings now has competition there so will have to do his best to keep the shirt
What we don't need is to start leaking goals again. Mings when still fit has to start as borne out by the stats , even him playing not fully fit we are 8 unbeaten.
I really like Mings for all the obvious reasons no one needs anyone to repeat. But Cardiff and yesterday are the only two games we haven’t let in goals. Praise Mings, he deserves it, hammer home over and over on several threads as you do, that he should always start, but lets not pretend, Mings being in over Torres over the last couple of months has completely shored up our defence, that just simply isn’t true.
Mings hasn't been fully fit , he's getting there now and the difference is really starting to tell.
That said we still need to use Torres and some games would suit him better e.g. Teams like Arsenal . I thought Torres would start yesterday as I still don't think 3 games in a week for Mings is ideal .
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I cant wait to see pau back in the side. Just for his passing. Mings now has competition there so will have to do his best to keep the shirt
What we don't need is to start leaking goals again. Mings when still fit has to start as borne out by the stats , even him playing not fully fit we are 8 unbeaten.
I really like Mings for all the obvious reasons no one needs anyone to repeat. But Cardiff and yesterday are the only two games we haven’t let in goals. Praise Mings, he deserves it, hammer home over and over on several threads as you do, that he should always start, but lets not pretend, Mings being in over Torres over the last couple of months has completely shored up our defence, that just simply isn’t true.
Mings hasn't been fully fit , he's getting there now and the difference is really starting to tell.
That said we still need to use Torres and some games would suit him better e.g. Teams like Arsenal . I thought Torres would start yesterday as I still don't think 3 games in a week for Mings is ideal .
Fair enough
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Let’s go Pau!
here for the discussion on his performance v Brighton
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Lovely return. Composed and clean sheet.
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Yep. I was surprised on the full 90 as I expected a swap out. Probably good that Pedro concentrated on Konsa for the time he was on as well.
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Yep. I was surprised on the full 90 as I expected a swap out. Probably good that Pedro concentrated on Konsa for the time he was on as well.
[/quote
Mad that we could now swap out last night's entire backline during a match and replace them with back four half the rest of the division would kill for (Garcia-Disasi-Mings-Maatsen), given where we were a few weks back.
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Good to see him back and play well and composed, i always thought this game would suit his return . A bit rusty round the edges but more than expected after so long out
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His first clean sheet since...Saints at home?
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Also nice to see Torres mark the match he returns from injury against the team he picked up the injury against.
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Fantastic that Pau is back competing for a place in the team - a superb passer of the ball from defence and is so important to Unai and the way he wants the team to play.
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His first clean sheet since...Saints at home?
Yep. But he only started 3 league games between Saints and last night, against the sides currently 3rd, 4th and 5th. Well Brighton home as well but he went off injured early.
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His first clean sheet since...Saints at home?
Yep. But he only started 3 league between Saints and last night, against the sides currently 3rd, 4th and 5th. Well Brighton home as well but he went off injured early.
And while it probably wasn't the most taxing half an hour of his career, he (and the rest of the team) didn't concede against Brugge in his last appearance either.
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One criticism of last night was Pau's performance: I'm not sure he is now the critical piece in defence: he's slow and weak in the challenge. I wonder whether we're looking to find an upgrade. We have signed the young Turk, of course.
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One criticism of last night was Pau's performance: I'm not sure he is now the critical piece in defence: he's slow and weak in the challenge. I wonder whether we're looking to find an upgrade. We have signed the young Turk, of course.
Football is definitely a game of opinions because as much as I see that comment in general about Pau earlier on the season when fit last night I thought he was magnificent and with the pace and power of their press his quick feet was key to us managing some ball retention.
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Agreed, his distribution was excellent and he didn't do anything (majorly) wrong in his defending.
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I actually thought he was good pushing us forward and carrying the ball too. There are times when you want someone stronger too, but then you're looking at the likes of Vin Dijk and that costs.
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We create more when he is in the team. A lot more. We also tend to concede more than when Mings plays.
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When at the match I thought he was excellent and really makes a huge difference to us. When I watched the replay back, my initial thoughts away from the emotion of the crowd, were confirmed (to myself). I thought he was largely excellent and makes us a much better team.
The idea of an upgrade of Pau is mad
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There's an older lady at work who calls people Petal, I'll have a word with her tomorrow, the silly old homophobe.
Yeah, that’s the same, because Billy calls everybody Petal doesn’t he?
Oh.
Thanks for your input though, Breezeblock.
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When at the match I thought he was excellent and really makes a huge difference to us. When I watched the replay back, my initial thoughts away from the emotion of the crowd, were confirmed (to myself). I thought he was largely excellent and makes us a much better team.
The idea of an upgrade of Pau is mad
Yep some of his long passes and passes through the press were sensational.
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When at the match I thought he was excellent and really makes a huge difference to us. When I watched the replay back, my initial thoughts away from the emotion of the crowd, were confirmed (to myself). I thought he was largely excellent and makes us a much better team.
The idea of an upgrade of Pau is mad
An upgrade to Pau would be the best defender in the world. The other day they were picking out Van Djokovic for his ability to play the ball over the top for Salah. However that pass by Pau to set Asensio away was tremendous.
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I love Pau and thought he largely had a good game.
However, I think if Mings was playing the first goal wouldn't have been conceded.
Of course, we then might never have been able to get onto the front foot without his quick feet and progressive passing.
They each have good qualities. Such a shame we can't mesh them together.
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I feel like European referees would probably hate Mings the same way they seem to have it in for McGinn.
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I feel like European referees would probably hate Mings the same way they seem to have it in for McGinn.
Tbf McGinn somewhat deserved his booking yesterday when he kicked “The Georgian” half way up the Witton Lane.
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I feel like European referees would probably hate Mings the same way they seem to have it in for McGinn.
Tbf McGinn somewhat deserved his booking yesterday when he kicked “The Georgian” half way up the Witton Lane.
Yes, not sure we could complain on that one, definitely worth the £7, or whatever cost bookings are these days
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When at the match I thought he was excellent and really makes a huge difference to us. When I watched the replay back, my initial thoughts away from the emotion of the crowd, were confirmed (to myself). I thought he was largely excellent and makes us a much better team.
The idea of an upgrade of Pau is mad
I accept your comments, and others above; my earlier ones are perhaps unfair / ungrateful / uneducated / A N other! A mash-up of Pau and Mings would be amazing ... I'd still like to see Emery try Mings, Pau and Konsa together (much as that might offend the no-back-three brigade on here).
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I feel like European referees would probably hate Mings the same way they seem to have it in for McGinn.
Tbf McGinn somewhat deserved his booking yesterday when he kicked “The Georgian” half way up the Witton Lane.
He also deserved protection for 3/4 times he was clobbered but that hopeless ref wasn’t having him at all…
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Yeah, they were battering McGinn all game and he hardly got a foul, let alone any consideration of booking a PSG player.
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He's Emery's boy, clearly.
But - if he fancies himself more as the deep (deep) lying midfielder picking passes - we still need someone back there medium > long term who can organise a defence and is more durable against physical forwards.
Mings is that for us when he plays and Konsa usually all the better for it. If Torres is the manager's long term fixture @ the back we need a right sided version of Ty to slot in.
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There's that split moment hesitation between keeper and Torres and it's fatal . Mings puts that away from danger and speaks with Martinez after .
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Maybe, maybe not. It’s Emi’s error anyway if he comes out like that he has to get it.
Pau was absolutely key in what we were able to do last night.
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Maybe , but Torres had the priority to clear the danger and didn't . And it's ended up in our net .
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There's that split moment hesitation between keeper and Torres and it's fatal . Mings puts that away from danger and speaks with Martinez after .
Or he collides with Martinez and takes Emi out of the game and maybe himself. Again all if's buts and maybe's but when a keeper comes out like that and shouts, defenders normally leave it, especially as the keeper can see the attackers and defenders don't like clearing towards their own goal.
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There's that split moment hesitation between keeper and Torres and it's fatal . Mings puts that away from danger and speaks with Martinez after .
Or he collides with Martinez and takes Emi out of the game and maybe himself. Again all if's buts and maybe's but when a keeper comes out like that and shouts, defenders normally leave it, especially as the keeper can see the attackers and defenders don't like clearing towards their own goal.
Yeah fair point , we don't ever know . My point was more around that moment of indecision Mings clears the lines and asks questions after . I will say after that mistake Torres had a fine game , the ball through to Ascensio deserved a better finish .
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Maybe , but Torres had the priority to clear the danger and didn't . And it's ended up in our net .
Martinez calls that ball, it's up to him to deal with it. Got two hands on the ball so you can't blame Torres.
Torres has been a bit iffy after his return but justified his selection I thought. Distribution was very solid, kept finding our men with forward passes in the second half. Mings has lots of strengths but that isn't one. Again credit to Emery for getting them both back and competitive.
Mings all day v Newcastle and Palace though.
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Maybe , but Torres had the priority to clear the danger and didn't . And it's ended up in our net .
Martinez calls that ball, it's up to him to deal with it. Got two hands on the ball so you can't blame Torres.
Torres has been a bit iffy after his return but justified his selection I thought. Distribution was very solid, kept finding our men with forward passes in the second half. Mings has lots of strengths but that isn't one. Again credit to Emery for getting them both back and competitive.
Mings all day v Newcastle and Palace though.
Yup, all that.
I really don't see how "well, Mings would have just ignored what his goalkeeper says and done his own thing" is something to be seen as a positive.
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I didn't really see it as either players fault to be honest, though if Emi did call it then it's his.
I just thought it was a bit unfortunate, could see why Pau would leave it and also he's so close to Emi when he does it's put him off hence the spill.
Also, that's why you put your crosses in that area, the football version of the corridor of uncertainty.
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Martinez was at fault. He spilt it.
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Bit of both, more so Martinez.
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It was Martinorres' fault.
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Bit of both, more so Martinez.
I've just watched it again, Torres right foot comes down so close to the ball just as Emi is coming to get it. I'm not blaming Torres at all but if he isn't right there at that point that ball isn't falling lose.
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It was Martinorres' fault.
Not Paumi's
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Bit of both, more so Martinez.
I've just watched it again, Torres right foot comes down so close to the ball just as Emi is coming to get it. I'm not blaming Torres at all but if he isn't right there at that point that ball isn't falling lose.
Which meant Pau could have dealt with it IF Emi hadn't decided to shout and come for it. However on the initial ball I didn't thing Pau was getting anywhere near it ahead of Dembele. Just a shame neither did in the end.
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Bit of both, more so Martinez.
I've just watched it again, Torres right foot comes down so close to the ball just as Emi is coming to get it. I'm not blaming Torres at all but if he isn't right there at that point that ball isn't falling lose.
Which meant Pau could have dealt with it IF Emi hadn't decided to shout and come for it. However on the initial ball I didn't thing Pau was getting anywhere near it ahead of Dembele. Just a shame neither did in the end.
I've mentally filed it as 'one of them things' as opposed to a glaring error.
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That's exactly right. Even then, probably only about a 10% of it bouncing straight to their bloke in a perfect position to score, so most of the time it would have been swiftly forgotten about.
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There have not been too many Villa player In recent years who have been linked to Real Madrid - so he must be doing something right!
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There have not been too many Villa player In recent years who have been linked to Real Madrid - so he must be doing something right!
today probably isn't a great day for bigging up Real Madrid
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Pau played as an auxiliary midfielder for good spells of the game on Wednesday. Thought he was tremendous. In fact, both centrebacks were very aggressive going forward (hence the PSG breakaways and goals). If you tot up the Pau volley, Konsa finding himself in a "striker's" shooting position in the box (he passed), the Konsa goal and the missed header - that's 4 pretty golden opportunities for our CBs in one game.
Can't happen that often.
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Bit of both, more so Martinez.
I've just watched it again, Torres right foot comes down so close to the ball just as Emi is coming to get it. I'm not blaming Torres at all but if he isn't right there at that point that ball isn't falling lose.
There's that moment of hesitation that creates the problem . It's a great cross and leaves Torres indecisive. Mings puts his foot through that without hesitation into row z . That's my opinion anyway .
Conceding 5 over the 2 legs made it incredibly difficult to win the game .
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Well yeah but Torres was important to us being able to attack like we did. Also the 3 goals in the first leg had nothing to do with Torres.
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Well yeah but Torres was important to us being able to attack like we did. Also the 3 goals in the first leg had nothing to do with Torres.
More at a macro level of team selection etc . It's very hard to call nowadays who our best XI are . All I know is we lost the tie and conceded too many . And that 1st goal on Tuesday was very poor to concede . Effectively killed the tie off .
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I know you like to stretch things a bit. But the first goal is on Emi - could Torres have kicked it? Yeah, but Emi calls it and it’s his responsibility and his mistake. It also evidently did not kill the tie, the second goal didn’t even do that.
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I know you like to stretch things a bit. But the first goal is on Emi - could Torres have kicked it? Yeah, but Emi calls it and it’s his responsibility and his mistake. It also evidently did not kill the tie, the second goal didn’t even do that.
It did though in reality. And how do you know the keeper called it ? You don't that just fits your narrative . Even if he did call it in such a red danger zone area better defenders take their own view and just deal with it anyway instead of leaving risk .
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I thought Torres was poor against PSG and I’d have Mings over him every time.
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Call for the ball, deal with it. Should have been left for Torres to thrash into the North Stand.
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There have not been too many Villa player In recent years who have been linked to Real Madrid - so he must be doing something right!
today probably isn't a great day for bigging up Real Madrid
Ashley Westwood was once linked. No sorry I meant Ashley Cole.
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I thought Torres was poor against PSG and I’d have Mings over him every time.
Poor in what way? The Emi not dealing with the ball, or the other 93 minutes he did no wrong and should have had two assists if Asensio had finished?
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Yeah dreadful….
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Across the 2 legs we didn't defend well enough . 5 goals conceded it's hard to win with those stats . That's not just on Torres though it was a collective thing.
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Reflected our season really...conceded too many and wasn't as clinical as we needed to be.
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We seem to concede less with Mings in the team.
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We do but then we also haven't played PSG with Mings in the team. As pointed out there is some consideration that MAYBE Mings might or might not have prevented the first goal at VP, doubt very much on the second though. And in the first leg the argument could be we might not have conceded as many chances to PSG (29) with Mings in the side, but then the other side of that is we must have defended well enough to concede only three with two being world class unstoppable strikes.
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I thought Torres was poor against PSG and I’d have Mings over him every time.
Poor in what way? The Emi not dealing with the ball, or the other 93 minutes he did no wrong and should have had two assists if Asensio had finished?
Ahhhh, those Torres blinkers in operation again (not having a go at the poster)
For some reason people won’t see that he gives the ball away nearly as often as he makes his passes.
He was caught in possession a few times the other night and made some very poor decisions .
I do like Torres, but he is certainly not the impeccable defender that some make him out to be.
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I thought Torres was poor against PSG and I’d have Mings over him every time.
Poor in what way? The Emi not dealing with the ball, or the other 93 minutes he did no wrong and should have had two assists if Asensio had finished?
Ahhhh, those Torres blinkers in operation again (not having a go at the poster)
For some reason people won’t see that he gives the ball away nearly as often as he makes his passes.
He was caught in possession a few times the other night and made some very poor decisions .
I do like Torres, but he is certainly not the impeccable defender that some make him out to be.
Yeah, Emery must be a fool.
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In a straight choice between the two, I'd prefer Tyrone in defence. He's more forceful, and not a bad passer of the ball. Hopefully he plays tomorrow to mark Isak.
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I thought Torres was poor against PSG and I’d have Mings over him every time.
Poor in what way? The Emi not dealing with the ball, or the other 93 minutes he did no wrong and should have had two assists if Asensio had finished?
Ahhhh, those Torres blinkers in operation again (not having a go at the poster)
For some reason people won’t see that he gives the ball away nearly as often as he makes his passes.
He was caught in possession a few times the other night and made some very poor decisions .
I do like Torres, but he is certainly not the impeccable defender that some make him out to be.
Yeah, Emery must be a fool.
Indeed and it’s like some have forgot we just beat arguably the best team in Europe from 2-0 down. Pau was key to that.
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I think the Torres “blinkers” invert the other way. Because he’s not a blood and thunder defender some make out he’s hopeless. He really isn’t - is he perfect physically in terms of aerial duels? No, but his all round game is key to us and he’s not the bad defender some make out.
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I think the Torres “blinkers” invert the other way. Because he’s not a blood and thunder defender some make out he’s hopeless. He really isn’t - is he perfect physically in terms of aerial duels? No, but his all round game is key to us and he’s not the bad defender some make out.
Spot on Paul
They all have their attributes and their faults…having 4 centre halves who you can pair as horses for courses is the ideal. Would I have wanted to see Ty on the ball with Dembele pressing at pace absolutely not but it doesn’t mean i think he is anything other than a key member of our squad
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I think the Torres “blinkers” invert the other way. Because he’s not a blood and thunder defender some make out he’s hopeless. He really isn’t - is he perfect physically in terms of aerial duels? No, but his all round game is key to us and he’s not the bad defender some make out.
And Mings distribution isn't as bad as some make out . Agree with your point also about Mings being the better defender . We won't win trophies with a leaky defence .
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The point I made about inverse rose-tinted glasses on Pau illustrated nicely.
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Reflected our season really...conceded too many and wasn't as clinical as we needed to be.
Yep. You can get away with 15 minutes of sloppy defending when you're playing the vast majority of Premier League teams over 90 minutes. PSG in a second leg, after losing 1-3 in the first? You get punished.
I said before the game, we can get a result but everyone needs to be at 100% for 100% of the game. They weren't, and that's the story of our season, unfortunately. We've made it extremely difficult for ourselves now, much more difficult than it needed to be, by regularly switching off for 10-20 minutes in far too many games.
I don't know who/what is to blame, but now we seem to be spoiled for choice with attacking options, and arguably the best midfield in the league, something needs to be done at the back over the summer.
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I imagine none of the following is particularly controversial:
Mings is a better defender than Pau
Pau is a better footballer than Mings
We're not yet a side that is in a position to dominate and dictate every match we play
For a lot of those matches, what Mings offers probably outweighs what Pau brings
Emery will want us to be a team that is better than the current one and control more matches than we currently do
For a lot of those matches, what Pau offers probably outweighs what Mings brings.
Or to put it in a slightly more succint but speculative way, right now it is debatable whether our current best team contains Pau or Mings. It's not really debatable in my opinion that the team Emery wants to turn us into is one that has Pau in it rather than Mings.
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Today i'd play Mings
vs C115y - Torres
Palace - Mings
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Yup, me too.
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Agree.
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Yeah, I feel Pau's better passing through the press might not compensate for the possibility of being bullied on transitions. Plus I bet he's cream crackered after midweek. Get Ty in there, fresh and ready to rumble (and he can pass through pressure pretty damn well too you know, twenty years ago he'd have been regarded as a deeply artsy centre back - Pau would've been a midfielder).
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I’d play Mings in this one.
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Today i'd play Mings
vs C115y - Torres
Palace - Mings
I agree with Coops
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Cash or Garcia is a tough call against Barnes who alway plays well, and usually scores, against us.
Would definitely play Digne for 60 mins against Murphy then Maatsen as they tire
Mings today for thier rough up tactics, Torres against 115.
Onana and Bouba holding
Uri flanked by McGinn and Rogers
Ollie up top.
That will give them something to think about.
Asensio and Rashford at 70 mins if needed, if not save for Tuesday
Tough 2-1
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I don't have a programme to hand - but what are the match results when Torres starts vs Mings? Hoping Percy has them! Be very interesting to see.
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With Pau W13 D6 L8
Without W16 D4 L5
With Mings W12 D3 L3
Without W17 D7 L10
That's games started this season
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Thanks - how about goals conceded too?
Pretty telling stats...
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Those Mings stats have carried since he signed. It's so obvious via the old eye test too.
I've maybe been appeasing a bit on this one, but I'm fully on board the unequivocal Tyrone Mings is a better centre half than Pau Torres wagon now. Yes, one has strengths that the other doesn't in both cases, but it just so happens that Mings' strength is defending and they are both defenders. That comes first. Also, we still play good football when Mings plays. We don't defend effectively when Torres plays...and that includes last season.
It is not Konsa, it is not Cash...they have both been part of a solid defence with Mings for years. It is Torres. Maybe if we can play them together or find a right-sided Mings to play with him it can work. At the moment it does not.
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Im not trying to defend the indefensible here, and I’ll be honest in that I both think Torres is a great footballer, lots of our only decent passing last night stemmed from him, and I love Mings for what he has brought to this club over many years now.
But just on last nights game alone, can someone explain to me how Mings makes a difference when Emi spilt the first goal in? Snd how was Torres in anyway at fault? We can debate the second one, but if people are convinced Mings gets there and gets his body shape at an angle to clear rather that score an o.g., then fine. Im not so sure.
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Firstly, I think Mings cuts out the second goal. I don't think he effects the first. It was the same for PSG away. Torres not at fault for any, but we don't concede the first at home and maybe that night plays out differently. You're right though, that is subjective.
I don't want to make Torres the fall guy. He's a very good player and I love watching him on the ball, but the statistics are damning. When I have a bit of time I might go and fetch the goals conceded stats for Mings versus Torres starts under Emery. The difference will be vast. Eye test on this one, but Mings seems to inspire the rest of the backline (and the goalkeeper?) too.
I do accept that he has serious quality, but he isn't compatible either with A) the rest of the Villa backline, or B) the Premier League.
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Mings projects a forcefield which either stops Konsa from flicking it out, stops the attacker from shooting or stops the ball from landing on Emi's foot. Not sure which. But I am in the camp that Mings is a better defender, just that sometimes stats in football doesn't help when comparing Mings against Cardiff/ PNE with Torres against PSG / Citeh, there are lots of other variables like is the team setup to defend high or low, do we have Kamara playing brilliantly, having his occasional off game or not even starting.
Mings still starts in the Wembley matches though.
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Mings projects a forcefield which either stops Konsa from flicking it out, stops the attacker from shooting or stops the ball from landing on Emi's foot. Not sure which. But I am in the camp that Mings is a better defender, just that sometimes stats in football doesn't help when comparing Mings against Cardiff/ PNE with Torres against PSG / Citeh, there are lots of other variables like is the team setup to defend high or low, do we have Kamara playing brilliantly, having his occasional off game or not even starting.
Mings still starts in the Wembley matches though.
Like the plural at the end. Fingers crossed.
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It's not even close. When Torres starts the defence is weakened and more vulnerable . Mings passing isn't too shabby either , it's just a shamehe can't manage 3 games a week .
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I think people see what they want to see. I'm biased towards Torres, I like the style of football he brings to the party, and I think blaming him for last night when a) Cash, Onana and especially Martinez fuck up for the first goal, and b) mainly Disasi fucks up for the second, and c) we're speculating that Mings would've cleared the cross when we really don't know that...well, I think people are seeing what they are primed to see as well. Big Man Eat Ball is also a bias.
I think Emery bears the most responsibility for the result because his tactics led to the performance, and what's more I'm next to certain he agrees.
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I think people see what they want to see. I'm biased towards Torres, I like the style of football he brings to the party, and I think blaming him for last night when a) Cash, Onana and especially Martinez fuck up for the first goal, and b) mainly Disasi fucks up for the second, and c) we're speculating that Mings would've cleared the cross when we really don't know that...well, I think people are seeing what they are primed to see as well. Big Man Eat Ball is also a bias.
I think Emery bears the most responsibility for the result because his tactics led to the performance, and what's more I'm next to certain he agrees.
Completely agree on all this Monty.
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Relatively fair, but to be clear I haven't blamed Torres for last night and I've acknowledged that the clearance is subjective. It's a general observation.
Konsa and Torres are both passive defenders. They need a leader/Big Man Eats Ball next to them. Be it Mings next to Konsa or an alternative on the right-side with Torres. It was ever thus.
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Agree Monty it’s just confirmation bias. I suspect Tim, for example, every time we concede a goal or make a mistake looks to see Pau’s proximity to it.
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Think Dave summed it up nicely on a different thread. We need both Torres and Mings, for their different qualities at different times. But that Torres (or similar) is where the team is heading overall.
Most of the good stuff we produced last night, notably first half, came through Torres. I especially like how he has learned to negate attempts by the opposing press to close down his options on the left side, either by playing off his right foot to good effect, or by veering right and carrying the ball through the press himself.
Maybe Mings might have stuck out a leg at that cross. Equally, had he been playing, it might have been more backs-to-the-wall and for longer as we surrendered more possession.
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Torres is a very elegant footballer - can pass, has vision and is progressive - we either need to find a way to defend better when he plays (see: Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne back line) - or we choose not to be as creative from the back.
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Agree Monty it’s just confirmation bias. I suspect Tim, for example, every time we concede a goal or make a mistake looks to see Pau’s proximity to it.
Nope, i just look at the results and defensive performance as a whole (inc. goals Against) and see the pattern / correlation that has emerged.
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I think people see what they want to see. I'm biased towards Torres, I like the style of football he brings to the party, and I think blaming him for last night when a) Cash, Onana and especially Martinez fuck up for the first goal, and b) mainly Disasi fucks up for the second, and c) we're speculating that Mings would've cleared the cross when we really don't know that...well, I think people are seeing what they are primed to see as well. Big Man Eat Ball is also a bias.
I think Emery bears the most responsibility for the result because his tactics led to the performance, and what's more I'm next to certain he agrees.
He's an elegant defender and fantastic when we're putting a team to the sword but i just think that Torres lacks the mental toughness to be a top top defender. It's not all about ability sometimes it's about having the attitude of "thou shalt not pass"
My all time favourite defender is Gianfranco Baresi and he epitomised that attitude. Torres is too passive for me. Not for the first time he watched a ball sail past him and seemed to just give up. I don't know if Mings would of cut the ball out but I'm confident he would bust a gut and stretched every sinew trying too.
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Yes Emre got the tactics all wrong, we should have been all out for the win yet played as if we were happy just to get the draw. Why he took JJ off and left Rogers on is a puzzle. Mings leads the backline, constantly talking and giving instructions Pau isn't a leader
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Yes Emre got the tactics all wrong, we should have been all out for the win yet played as if we were happy just to get the draw. Why he took JJ off and left Rogers on is a puzzle. Mings leads the backline, constantly talking and giving instructions Pau isn't a leader
Torres is still a very good player, particularly with the ball at his feet. But failing to go at that cross last night was unacceptable.
I wouldn't hold it against Emery for selecting Torres for last night though or at home to PSG. Is Mings as outstanding against Newcastle and Isak without some bit of rest? Without Haaland it made sense to play Torres. But Palace - Mings comes back in for sure.
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I should say that I too have a soft spot for Big Man Eat Ball, and that actually Mings is as underrated with the ball at his feet as (I think) Torres is without it. And I'm totally content to have him back to try and deal with Mateta, for instance.
I just think people focusing on the moment of the goal, missing the cross or whatever, are missing the point that they hardly made any chances at all despite our timidity and misjudged approach (we actually beat them on xG, for whatever that's worth), and a lot of that is obviously down to Torres defending well - and the point that it was the overall approach, inviting them on far too much and getting our pressing strategy wrong overall, that cost us in the end.
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I should say that I too have a soft spot for Big Man Eat Ball, and that actually Mings is as underrated with the ball at his feet as (I think) Torres is without it.
Funny, was thinking something similar.
I’ve sensed that Mings tries to replicate Torres’ passing patterns, particularly the long low ball to the inside forwards (where Mings’ entire footballing education would normally have him curling the ball up the touchline).
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I should say that I too have a soft spot for Big Man Eat Ball, and that actually Mings is as underrated with the ball at his feet as (I think) Torres is without it. And I'm totally content to have him back to try and deal with Mateta, for instance.
I just think people focusing on the moment of the goal, missing the cross or whatever, are missing the point that they hardly made any chances at all despite our timidity and misjudged approach (we actually beat them on xG, for whatever that's worth), and a lot of that is obviously down to Torres defending well - and the point that it was the overall approach, inviting them on far too much and getting our pressing strategy wrong overall, that cost us in the end.
We beat them on xG due to the penalty. Their non penalty xG was higher than ours.
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I should say that I too have a soft spot for Big Man Eat Ball, and that actually Mings is as underrated with the ball at his feet as (I think) Torres is without it. And I'm totally content to have him back to try and deal with Mateta, for instance.
I just think people focusing on the moment of the goal, missing the cross or whatever, are missing the point that they hardly made any chances at all despite our timidity and misjudged approach (we actually beat them on xG, for whatever that's worth), and a lot of that is obviously down to Torres defending well - and the point that it was the overall approach, inviting them on far too much and getting our pressing strategy wrong overall, that cost us in the end.
We beat them on xG due to the penalty. Their non penalty xG was higher than ours.
Ah makes sense. Still, a penalty's a chance we made no? Plus it was a legit one, ran at them until they got in a muddle and tripped someone up. Wasn't like Mings picking the ball up.
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I should say that I too have a soft spot for Big Man Eat Ball, and that actually Mings is as underrated with the ball at his feet as (I think) Torres is without it. And I'm totally content to have him back to try and deal with Mateta, for instance.
I just think people focusing on the moment of the goal, missing the cross or whatever, are missing the point that they hardly made any chances at all despite our timidity and misjudged approach (we actually beat them on xG, for whatever that's worth), and a lot of that is obviously down to Torres defending well - and the point that it was the overall approach, inviting them on far too much and getting our pressing strategy wrong overall, that cost us in the end.
We beat them on xG due to the penalty. Their non penalty xG was higher than ours.
Although their goal meant they beat us on "touches in the opposition box" by one touch. So whist the xG is widely swayed with the Pen, the other stat showed that we were stopping them from creating much in the box and most of their attacks was long distance stuff.
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Another really weak display to add to a growing collection. The penny will surely be dropping with Emery now , or will we see more stubbornness from him . He really isn't good enough to play in our backline in the Prem or big games like today .
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I should say that I too have a soft spot for Big Man Eat Ball, and that actually Mings is as underrated with the ball at his feet as (I think) Torres is without it. And I'm totally content to have him back to try and deal with Mateta, for instance.
I just think people focusing on the moment of the goal, missing the cross or whatever, are missing the point that they hardly made any chances at all despite our timidity and misjudged approach (we actually beat them on xG, for whatever that's worth), and a lot of that is obviously down to Torres defending well - and the point that it was the overall approach, inviting them on far too much and getting our pressing strategy wrong overall, that cost us in the end.
We beat them on xG due to the penalty. Their non penalty xG was higher than ours.
Wtf is XG??
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Needs to learn to defend. Or put him in midfield. Or sell.
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Needs to learn to defend. Or put him in midfield. Or sell.
With the speed and turning circle of a North Sea ferry he ain’t going anywhere near our midfield.
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Needs to learn to defend. Or put him in midfield. Or sell.
With the speed and turning circle of a North Sea ferry he ain’t going anywhere near our midfield.
If I had my way, he wouldn't be any where near to our defence either.
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Another really weak display to add to a growing collection. The penny will surely be dropping with Emery now , or will we see more stubbornness from him . He really isn't good enough to play in our backline in the Prem or big games like today .
He’s not in form, but there is plenty of evidence he can play in big games and we win.
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He was in a backing thay finished 4th. He hasn't played well this season mind, but Emi between the sticks has cost us far more results.
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He also had a few months out with a broken foot, which I feel gets forgotten.
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He was in a backing thay finished 4th. He hasn't played well this season mind, but Emi between the sticks has cost us far more results.
But strangely*, not when Mings has played.
*not strangely.
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Emi chucked one in against Newcastle. He's been shite this season.
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If I'm honest, I would consider selling him in the summer. We need to bring in a real quality, physical presence back there, as we have seen the difference that it made to Liverpool, Arsenal and even Forest when they did the same.
I like Pau Torres, but he'd be the one I'd look to move on come the summer as he'd probably be worth the most. I would look to sign Disasi, as I think he's been fine at CB, would keep Konsa and Mings and then look at bringing in a real quality addition.
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Torres probably does have good value to be sold. We have to wheel and deal anyway.
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Emi chucked one in against Newcastle. He's been shite this season.
He was great in the CL league phase.
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Emi? He didn't have much to do in many games really.
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If I'm honest, I would consider selling him in the summer. We need to bring in a real quality, physical presence back there, as we have seen the difference that it made to Liverpool, Arsenal and even Forest when they did the same.
I like Pau Torres, but he'd be the one I'd look to move on come the summer as he'd probably be worth the most. I would look to sign Disasi, as I think he's been fine at CB, would keep Konsa and Mings and then look at bringing in a real quality addition.
I'd move Torres on. As for Disasi, if we keep him Emery will continue to play him as an auxiliary RB, where he's shite.
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I wouldn’t be selling Pau. I’d hope we can get the team set up right and utilise his ability. He demonstrated the range of options he adds in the second leg against PSG. We do need to work on our defensive combinations though.
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Emi? He didn't have much to do in many games really.
His xG saved was exceptional. But you’re right, and the fact that he was playing behind an effective defence probably helped that.
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You're still being weird I see despite Carlos, the absolute doneky, having left.
Emi has been chucking them in all season. PSG, Newcastle, Man City, first he should have got to yesterday. He's a had a really poor season.
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You're still being weird I see despite Carlos, the absolute doneky, having left.
Emi has been chucking them in all season. PSG, Newcastle, Man City, first he should have got to yesterday. He's a had a really poor season.
What’s weird about what I said? Any of it not true?
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You'll have to find somebody else to play with, I'm sure Bronte will be along soon unless he's got some grass to watch grow for more entertainment.
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You'll have to find somebody else to play with, I'm sure Bronte will be along soon unless he's got some grass to watch grow for more entertainment.
Why? Are you going off for another long sulk?
Fourth best defence in the CL league phase. Don’t see what’s so weird about pointing that out as relevant to the goalie’s performance.
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I've better ways of spending my time than being bored senseless by a Diego Carlos groupie.
I think Emi has been shite. Whether that's with Mings, Torres or whoever, this season.
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People on here saying put him in midfield, he'd get eaten alive. John Stones can do it but hes an exceptional player. Torres gets done on the turn too easily for me, he is a decent player until he comes up against a big physical striker - which is why 97% of us were aghast he was in instead of Mings. Gets picked for his distribution as much as anything but he aint no Bobby Moore.
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Agree with those saying sell Torres. Think we'd make a loss on the figs but would still bring in some much needed funds. I can see him going back to Spain.
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People on here saying put him in midfield, he'd get eaten alive. John Stones can do it but hes an exceptional player. Torres gets done on the turn too easily for me, he is a decent player until he comes up against a big physical striker - which is why 97% of us were aghast he was in instead of Mings. Gets picked for his distribution as much as anything but he aint no Bobby Moore.
I think this is the issue with Torres - he is obviously a very good player EXCEPT against fast and/or physically powerful strikers. And unfortunately half the teams in the PL have someone like this. And that's too many teams to have to shield him from over a season.
His perfect defensive partner ironically would be someone like Mings.
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Another really weak display to add to a growing collection. The penny will surely be dropping with Emery now , or will we see more stubbornness from him . He really isn't good enough to play in our backline in the Prem or big games like today .
It smacked of a loyalty selection really. Pau basically just signing for us due to Unai being here so guess part of that was not leaving him out of big league or cup matches.
Contrary to popular belief Pau has actually played well for us on many occasions...but handling monster CFs is not his forte aswell. He was terrible v Everton at home when Calvert Lewin barged into him after five minutes and genuinely didn't want to know in any duel for the rest of the game and could've easily cost us another goal.
Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet so clearly Emery knows he's better than Pau at handling those types of forwards and I think everyone assumed him being on the bench v Man. City would mean he'd come back in for the SF.
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Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet
He kept Elanga (sort of) quiet while Wood sat at home.
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I've better ways of spending my time than being bored senseless by a Diego Carlos groupie.
I was talking about a combination of defenders that was objectively better than another combination of defenders, and that helping the goalie. I preferred that combination of defenders because they were better, not because I want to have sex with one of them.
But as you accused me of the latter, did you really think Lizz Truss’s policies would be just what the country needed (lol), or did you just want to have sex with her?
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You're so odd.
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
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You're so odd.
I’m a Villa fan who prefers Villa to concede fewer goals.
You think that means I want to have sex with a player.
Now that IS odd.
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Agree with those saying sell Torres. Think we'd make a loss on the figs but would still bring in some much needed funds. I can see him going back to Spain.
Using him as part of a deal might work if it could be done. Just think we need a real top quality centre half in the summer and they aren't going to come cheap.
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People on here saying put him in midfield, he'd get eaten alive. John Stones can do it but hes an exceptional player. Torres gets done on the turn too easily for me, he is a decent player until he comes up against a big physical striker - which is why 97% of us were aghast he was in instead of Mings. Gets picked for his distribution as much as anything but he aint no Bobby Moore.
Southgate wasn't especially quick or strong for a centre half but - to give credit to the former Boro - captain - could read the game well. James Chester had a turn of pace but not the biggest CB and not dominant in the air. But again, he could get away with it because of his positional play and awareness.
Torres doesn't seem to have any of that, sadly. To make up for some pretty fundamental weaknesses.
He might work well in a three. Or in a side who dominate possession so much that the centre halves never really come under threat. As per peak Barca, or some of Pep's other sides. Then he'll have all the time in the world to do the things he likes. And not worry about the things he doesn't. That's prob not going to be with us though.
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
With Mings starting we’ve won our last 8, are unbeaten in 11, and lost once in 18.
Calm down weirdos, it doesn’t mean I fancy him.
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Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet
He kept Elanga (sort of) quiet while Wood sat at home.
Elanga is a winger so not for Mings to mark so to speak
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Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet
He kept Elanga (sort of) quiet while Wood sat at home.
Elanga is a winger so not for Mings to mark so to speak
He played more centrally when Forest played us. Because Wood was still injured and didn't play at all.
Which was the whole point of the post.
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
With Mings starting we’ve won our last 8, are unbeaten in 11, and lost once in 18.
Calm down weirdos, it doesn’t mean I fancy him.
I do.
Yours heterosexually,
Sexual Ealing GCSE
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Another really weak display to add to a growing collection. The penny will surely be dropping with Emery now , or will we see more stubbornness from him . He really isn't good enough to play in our backline in the Prem or big games like today .
It smacked of a loyalty selection really. Pau basically just signing for us due to Unai being here so guess part of that was not leaving him out of big league or cup matches.
Contrary to popular belief Pau has actually played well for us on many occasions...but handling monster CFs is not his forte aswell. He was terrible v Everton at home when Calvert Lewin barged into him after five minutes and genuinely didn't want to know in any duel for the rest of the game and could've easily cost us another goal.
Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet so clearly Emery knows he's better than Pau at handling those types of forwards and I think everyone assumed him being on the bench v Man. City would mean he'd come back in for the SF.
It's not just about Mings handling the physical side, it's probably more important how he leads the backline, communicates and just makes us look far better as a team, things Torres doesn't do. He is also decent with his distribution . Emery has really fucked up in the ECL and FA Cup by dropping Mings .
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Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet
He kept Elanga (sort of) quiet while Wood sat at home.
Elanga is a winger so not for Mings to mark so to speak
He played more centrally when Forest played us. Because Wood was still injured and didn't play at all.
Which was the whole point of the post.
He didn't really though, he was wide most of the time . Either way Mings and the others largely dealt with him and we won the game.
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With Mings he knows the value of getting to the FA cup final, think yesterday it would have suited him more, still didn't excuse the overall performance
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I preferred that combination of defenders because they were better, not because I want to have sex with one of them.
Yes, they were better, but also Diego is a real hottie isn’t he?
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
With Mings starting we’ve won our last 8, are unbeaten in 11, and lost once in 18.
Calm down weirdos, it doesn’t mean I fancy him.
I do.
Yours heterosexually,
Sexual Ealing GCSE
Me, you, Diego and Ty. Double date?
Ads and brontebilly can be a pair of homophobic dads like in the Harry Enfield show.
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Imagine a ty and Olaf mellberg cb partnership - even if they let in loads of goals we wouldn’t care because we would be too busy swooning
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Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet
He kept Elanga (sort of) quiet while Wood sat at home.
Elanga is a winger so not for Mings to mark so to speak
He played more centrally when Forest played us. Because Wood was still injured and didn't play at all.
Which was the whole point of the post.
He didn't really though, he was wide most of the time . Either way Mings and the others largely dealt with him and we won the game.
He wasn't. He played the first half as a centre-forward and was then subbed at half-time when they scrapped their 5-4-1 that didn't work.
But it really doesn't matter. It was a rhetorical device to say that Wood didn't play. Nothing more than that.
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
With Mings starting we’ve won our last 8, are unbeaten in 11, and lost once in 18.
Calm down weirdos, it doesn’t mean I fancy him.
I do.
Yours heterosexually,
Sexual Ealing GCSE
Me, you, Diego and Ty. Double date?
Ads and brontebilly can be a pair of homophobic dads like in the Harry Enfield show.
I'd love it, but before I send any photos, I need to make it clear I was talking about Mings. It's Mings I fancy. Diego's fit, but I see you and him together, Percy.
Now that's cleared up, empty your PMs. The photos are to scale (zoom in).
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
With Mings starting we’ve won our last 8, are unbeaten in 11, and lost once in 18.
Calm down weirdos, it doesn’t mean I fancy him.
I do.
Yours heterosexually,
Sexual Ealing GCSE
Me, you, Diego and Ty. Double date?
Ads and brontebilly can be a pair of homophobic dads like in the Harry Enfield show.
I'd love it, but before I send any photos, I need to make it clear I was talking about Mings. It's Mings I fancy. Diego's fit, but I see you and him together, Percy.
Now that's cleared up, empty your PMs. The photos are to scale (zoom in).
Just paid for extra storage on my cloud.
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If we start next season and Torres is anywhere near our backline then you might as well write the season off again . And the manager for that matter if his stubborn stance is real ? He got shot of Moreno , he needs to swallow his pride again and let Torres go .
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We finished 4th last year with him in the team.
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Really shocked Mings didn't start as in last few weeks he's kept Wood and Isak quiet
He kept Elanga (sort of) quiet while Wood sat at home.
Elanga is a winger so not for Mings to mark so to speak
He played more centrally when Forest played us. Because Wood was still injured and didn't play at all.
Which was the whole point of the post.
Ah yes Wood was injured still when we played them. I think Unai still put Mings in as he thought Awoniyi would start instead but he too was out. Mings was also due to start Forest away before he pulled out in the warm up ill.
Also started January away to Everton so there is clear evidence this season of him always starting when we're playing a more physical forward which makes him being overlooked yesterday all the more baffling and very costly to our chances.
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We finished 4th last year with him in the team.
Yeah some people conveniently forget that.
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I'm hoping the penny has now finally dropped with Emery/Monchi .
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That we finished 4th with him playing most games? Probably.
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Ahh the 4th place trophy . Add it to the honors board .
He isn't good enough . Crap defender and zero leadership or organisation skills .
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Yeah our best placed finish in decades, getting us into the Champions League means nothing. Started when we’ve beaten Man Citeh twice, Arsenal twice, Bayern, PSG etc. Won the Europa League for another club. But yeah can’t play at this level.
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Ahh the 4th place trophy . Add it to the honors board .
He isn't good enough . Crap defender and zero leadership or organisation skills .
Every thread all the time, its boring
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I think most villa fans agree - Pau and Ty are both great players. Neither are perfect but have considerable strengths.
Pau has been brilliant for us and played a big part in what we have achieved in the last 18 months. Mings has over the last 6 odd years.
We’re lucky to have them both - the frustration is Mings clearly was the right choice yesterday. That’s doesn’t change anything before or after but it’s pointless having a squad if you don’t play them to there strengths
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I do wonder if Mings may be carrying an injury. He wasn’t in the squad at all for Manchester City.
I agree with most other comments. It seemed a no brainer for him to start yesterday. I had him in the team i posted on here in the preview.
I just wonder.
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Ahh the 4th place trophy . Add it to the honors board .
He isn't good enough . Crap defender and zero leadership or organisation skills .
Every thread all the time, its boring
And the head in the sand defence from a couple of posters of a poor defender is boring . it's been obvious since the start he cannot defend , Burnley away the alarm bells started .
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If I'm honest, I would consider selling him in the summer. We need to bring in a real quality, physical presence back there, as we have seen the difference that it made to Liverpool, Arsenal and even Forest when they did the same.
I like Pau Torres, but he'd be the one I'd look to move on come the summer as he'd probably be worth the most. I would look to sign Disasi, as I think he's been fine at CB, would keep Konsa and Mings and then look at bringing in a real quality addition.
I reluctantly agree with this he isn't suited to English football, he has no speed to him and has no strength to him either, in this league you can get away with only having 1 of those attributes but you can't get away with having neither of them. He's had 2 seasons now to either speed up or bulk up and he's done neither of them. We can't afford to have a player that is only good in European Football. He's a good passer but as a defender in this league you need more than that and he hasn't got that so I can't see any point in keeping him.
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I do wonder if Mings may be carrying an injury. He wasn’t in the squad at all for Manchester City.
I agree with most other comments. It seemed a no brainer for him to start yesterday. I had him in the team i posted on here in the preview.
I just wonder.
Torres wasn't in the squad for the previous game I think nor Bailey. It was just an idiotic selection decision from Emery not to start Mings. Mings was just about the only centre half on our books that didn't play and he humiliated at Palace. He sat on the bench all game that night too while Konsa, Disasi and poor Bogarde were roasted.
Managers like players make mistakes, Emery made a massive one yesterday and a bit of a horror show with the subs and tactical setup at Man City. Mind you Newcastle was arguably his best game at the club.
I would look to move Torres on in the summer. He's a talented player ball at his feet for sure but his weaknesses defensively are exposed far too easily in the PL. He doesn't give the appearance of a man who spent his time off injured in the gym getting physically stronger, nor last summer. Emery made a point after Fulham earlier this season that he had to get stronger in his duels.
Id certainly keep Mings on. A big offer on Konsa (unlikely after this season) and Id consider it. Experienced centre backs at this level simply can't be babysat by their partner. Konsa should have stepped up this season but has regressed.
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I do find it odd how people just walk past the fact that Pau has played in most of our most significant victories domestically and in Europe in his time at the club. He was also pretty much ever present in until run in the first half of last season that had us up there competing for the top of the league. He’s obviously not a combative centre half but to say he can’t defend is just nonsense.
It’s pretty evident that it’s a defensive combination/team structure thing more than it being about Pau.
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I do find it odd how people just walk past the fact that Pau has played in most of our most significant victories domestically and in Europe in his time at the club. He was also pretty much ever present in until run in the first half of last season that had us up there competing for the top of the league. He’s obviously not a combative centre half but to say he can’t defend is just nonsense.
It’s pretty evident that it’s a defensive combination/team structure thing more than it being about Pau.
I think your speaking to deaf ears now to be honest Paul. The dye has been cast with many posters. Its easy to have a straight forward narrative where one particular player is the reason behind most of our defensive ills, easy to fix then hey.
Its hard to argue with some of the recent stats, but your right, its far more nuanced.
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We seem to concede more goals with Torres’s in the team.
That is not nuance.
I don’t think anyone is saying we can’t play well or win with Torres in the team.
Of course not helped when we play Cash aswell.
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I think there’s Pau games and there’s Mings games. It up to the gaffer to decide who is most appropriate. Saturdays match seemed like it would be a Mings game to most, but not Unai.
Personally I think Pau is a player that could be upgraded if the right person comes along, a stronger player with composure on the ball.
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I think there’s Pau games and there’s Mings games. It up to the gaffer to decide who is most appropriate. Saturdays match seemed like it would be a Mings game to most, but not Unai.
Personally I think Pau is a player that could be upgraded if the right person comes along, a stronger player with composure on the ball.
I'd have thought that our defensive problems this season have been exacerbated, maybe even caused, by not having a settled central defensive pairing. Centre halves tend to work in pairs and it isn't typically a position that many managers seem to rotate. This has affected Martinez too I reckon. The other thing is that our full backs seem incapable of stopping a cross from coming in - what is that all about? The shape (narrow) or their defensive instincts? I don't know, but the goals we concede all seem to be the same thing: cross / cut back, indecision, goal.
I would play Mings and Konsa as CHs for all the remaining games. I like Torres, but he looks very low on confidence. If we had a better back up keeper, I think we would've seem him play by now too for the same reason.
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There's an instinct to defending that Pau and to a lesser extent Konsa lack that's so evident once Mings starts in the team. The first goal against PSG and the late goal at Man City, there's no way Mings is letting the ball run past him like Pau did both times.
It builds confidence, when I'm watching you feel like the opposition could cross the ball in all day and it's no issue and it fuels our adventure going forward.
I think the reality is it needs to be Pau or Konsa plus Mings or expensive new Mings-a-like.
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It's got to the point where this isn't a Torres vs Mings thing.
Emry doesn't seem to want to play Mings in certain games, either because his distribution isn't up to it or there are fears around his fitness. Unfortunately, Torres isn't up to it either in terms of pace and defensive ability.
We've conceded far too many goals this year, the defence as a whole needs a total rethink.
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I know the standards are demanding and everything, but like I think Monty said elsewhere I actually thnk Mings is pretty good with his distribution and it feels like it's underrated somewhat.
But I do concur that we need some work at the back, individually and as a unit.
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Since Torres and Mings both returned at the start of March (the Club Brugge away match):
Mings PL 7 W 7 Conceded 3
Torres PL 5 W 2 L3 Conceded 10
With Mings starting we’ve won our last 8, are unbeaten in 11, and lost once in 18.
Calm down weirdos, it doesn’t mean I fancy him.
Maybe not, but he's fit isn't he? ☺️
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Age-wise though it's Mings that needs the upgrade. Hard as nails, uncompromising defender, tough, leader, right-footed... That's the wish list - over to our scouting team.
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There's an instinct to defending that Pau and to a lesser extent Konsa lack that's so evident once Mings starts in the team. The first goal against PSG and the late goal at Man City, there's no way Mings is letting the ball run past him like Pau did both times.
It builds confidence, when I'm watching you feel like the opposition could cross the ball in all day and it's no issue and it fuels our adventure going forward.
I think the reality is it needs to be Pau or Konsa plus Mings or expensive new Mings-a-like.
And there it is, finally.
Konsa, Torres and Mings are all great players, unfortunately for us Konsa is better with Mings and Pau is better with a ball winner next to him.
I do think it odd that Mings didn't play on Saturday and perhaps that was injury related. Disasi obviously was Cup tied which negated that possibility.
Torres has been great for us, and will be in the future.
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It’s pretty evident that it’s a defensive combination/team structure thing more than it being about Pau.
I agree.
Against Palace on Saturday, we kept trying to play flicks and quick passes through midfield but these were getting cut out and all of a sudden our defence is on the turn and outnumbered during the transition.
IMO Rogers is most guilty of this at the moment - probably (hopefully) just due to fatigue.
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1st goal was crucial as so often . Once they got they were able to execute their game plan to perfection. That's why we had to keep it tight at the back and not make daft mistakes gifting them the goal.
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1st goal was crucial as so often . Once they got they were able to execute their game plan to perfection. That's why we had to keep it tight at the back and not make daft mistakes gifting them the goal.
There is nuance here though. Torres lost the ball quite badly, but there was still a lot for Palace to do to score. Could someone of cut the pass out Eze, could someone has closed Eze down quicker, could Martinez’s positioning have been better. Indicating the goal is largely down to one mistake by one player is incorrect as is the overall analysis of removing that player solves the issues.
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It's the needless ball loss and turnover in such a key area though that brings all the danger .
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1st goal was crucial as so often . Once they got they were able to execute their game plan to perfection. That's why we had to keep it tight at the back and not make daft mistakes gifting them the goal.
There is nuance here though. Torres lost the ball quite badly, but there was still a lot for Palace to do to score. Could someone of cut the pass out Eze, could someone has closed Eze down quicker, could Martinez’s positioning have been better. Indicating the goal is largely down to one mistake by one player is incorrect as is the overall analysis of removing that player solves the issues.
None of which is necessary if he doesn’t gift them the ball.
It was chronic and he contributed fxxxx all after either.
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1st goal was crucial as so often . Once they got they were able to execute their game plan to perfection. That's why we had to keep it tight at the back and not make daft mistakes gifting them the goal.
There is nuance here though. Torres lost the ball quite badly, but there was still a lot for Palace to do to score. Could someone of cut the pass out Eze, could someone has closed Eze down quicker, could Martinez’s positioning have been better. Indicating the goal is largely down to one mistake by one player is incorrect as is the overall analysis of removing that player solves the issues.
None of which is necessary if he doesn’t gift them the ball.
It was chronic and he contributed fxxxx all after either.
Compared to who? I don’t remember anybody other than Bailey and McGinn for 10 mins in the first half contribute anything of note, why pick him out?
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While most of us agree it was the wrong call to play Torres instead of Mings, there's much more to the defeat than that.
We treated it like a domestic cup away game (and we know how they normally pan out) rather than an end-of-season must-not-lose home game... Even with Torres at centre half we could and should have done a lot better.
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Honestly, he makes errors, and he also has a lot of good qualities. What to do? Well, maybe don't play this wild 4-2-4, with one of the midfield 2 being effectively a 10 playing deep (Tielemans). It works sometimes, but in too many games we're not giving anybody in the team their best chance at shining except maybe Rogers. And we know what confidence is as well, as players who make mistakes will often go on to make more.
During the summer we need to work something out. I'd favour having the option open to play Konsa as the right back who shuffles over to make a 3 in possession with both Mings AND Pau inside, with some combination of Onana, Kamara, maybe Barkley, maybe also a new signing (and Enzo? Bogarde?), just to make us less absurdly vulnerable on transition.
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Honestly, he makes errors, and he also has a lot of good qualities. What to do? Well, maybe don't play this wild 4-2-4, with one of the midfield 2 being effectively a 10 playing deep (Tielemans). It works sometimes, but in too many games we're not giving anybody in the team their best chance at shining except maybe Rogers. And we know what confidence is as well, as players who make mistakes will often go on to make more.
During the summer we need to work something out. I'd favour having the option open to play Konsa as the right back who shuffles over to make a 3 in possession with both Mings AND Pau inside, with some combination of Onana, Kamara, maybe Barkley, maybe also a new signing (and Enzo? Bogarde?), just to make us less absurdly vulnerable on transition.
Martinez
Konsa Mings Torres
Garcia Maatsen
Kamara
Malen Tielemans Ramsey
Watkins
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No.
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By my calculations we have had four different back four combos to have started 6 or more games this season.
Cash/Konsa/Torres/Digne is statistically the worst, averaging just over a point per game over 13 appearances. Conceding 1.8 per game and including three out of the four times we have conceded 3 or more in a game. Just two clean sheets. We only score a goal a game with this combo too.
Konsa/Carlos/Torres/Digne was slightly better at 1.8 points per game and conceding 1.5 per game over 6 appearances. Bayern at home was the only clean sheet. We scored two goals per game with this combo thanks to Wolves (H) and Leipzig (A).
Cash/Konsa/Mings/Digne averages 2.2 points per game over 6 appearances conceding 0.7 goals per game. Cash/Konsa/Mings/Maatsen is the same just with more goals scored per game so that is statistically the best although that is skewed by Bruges (H) v 10 men.
Mings HAS to be first choice now in the final games. If Liverpool can give Van Dijk a new contract at 33 we can keep Tyrone for a while yet.
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Honestly, he makes errors, and he also has a lot of good qualities. What to do? Well, maybe don't play this wild 4-2-4, with one of the midfield 2 being effectively a 10 playing deep (Tielemans). It works sometimes, but in too many games we're not giving anybody in the team their best chance at shining except maybe Rogers. And we know what confidence is as well, as players who make mistakes will often go on to make more.
During the summer we need to work something out. I'd favour having the option open to play Konsa as the right back who shuffles over to make a 3 in possession with both Mings AND Pau inside, with some combination of Onana, Kamara, maybe Barkley, maybe also a new signing (and Enzo? Bogarde?), just to make us less absurdly vulnerable on transition.
Martinez
Konsa Mings Torres
Garcia Maatsen
Kamara
Malen Tielemans Ramsey
Watkins
We have seen what this system does to us.i hate it.
Torres is the obvious Libero.
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By my calculations we have had four different back four combos to have started 6 or more games this season.
Cash/Konsa/Torres/Digne is statistically the worst, averaging just over a point per game over 13 appearances. Conceding 1.8 per game and including three out of the four times we have conceded 3 or more in a game. Just two clean sheets. We only score a goal a game with this combo too.
Konsa/Carlos/Torres/Digne was slightly better at 1.8 points per game and conceding 1.5 per game over 6 appearances. Bayern at home was the only clean sheet. We scored two goals per game with this combo thanks to Wolves (H) and Leipzig (A).
Cash/Konsa/Mings/Digne averages 2.2 points per game over 6 appearances conceding 0.7 goals per game. Cash/Konsa/Mings/Maatsen is the same just with more goals scored per game so that is statistically the best although that is skewed by Bruges (H) v 10 men.
Mings HAS to be first choice now in the final games. If Liverpool can give Van Dijk a new contract at 33 we can keep Tyrone for a while yet.
Interesting. I agree with your conclusion. Would be interesting to see how much better Pau/Carlos would come out if the clean sheets in games v Southampton, Juventus and Bologna were not excluded just because the full-backs were different. Also, clean sheets second half against Young Boys, and from 12 minutes on against Man Utd.
Nice to have it proven with facts that Konsa/Mings is our best partnership, and Pau/Carlos was way more effective than Konsa/Pau. No doubt some posters afflicted by memory loss will continue shake their fists at reality though, for some weird reason.
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Reading the above comments it would make you think that only Pau who made errors on Saturday??
He is therefore totally to blame for the defeat!
He is the latest in a long line of scapegoat's, let’s hope he gets his move to Real Madrid in the summer because he is obviously not good enough for Aston Villa.
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1st goal was crucial as so often . Once they got they were able to execute their game plan to perfection. That's why we had to keep it tight at the back and not make daft mistakes gifting them the goal.
There is nuance here though. Torres lost the ball quite badly, but there was still a lot for Palace to do to score. Could someone of cut the pass out Eze, could someone has closed Eze down quicker, could Martinez’s positioning have been better. Indicating the goal is largely down to one mistake by one player is incorrect as is the overall analysis of removing that player solves the issues.
None of which is necessary if he doesn’t gift them the ball.
It was chronic and he contributed fxxxx all after either.
Compared to who? I don’t remember anybody other than Bailey and McGinn for 10 mins in the first half contribute anything of note, why pick him out?
Because we are discussing Torres?Maybe.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
I can only speak for myself but want us to go with our most effective partnerships/combinations. But I accept that Mings can’t play all the time.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
We could do with our van Dijk moment in the summer. That elevating player who doesn't come cheap but is worth 15 points on his own.
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Martinez
Konsa Mings Torres
Garcia Maatsen
Kamara
Malen Tielemans Ramsey
Watkins
I'd have given a version of this a go some while back, injuries permitting; seems obvious to me.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
I can only speak for myself but want us to go with our most effective partnerships/combinations. But I accept that Mings can’t play all the time.
I love Ty, but he’s also not a long-term option either.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
I can only speak for myself but want us to go with our most effective partnerships/combinations. But I accept that Mings can’t play all the time.
I love Ty, but he’s also not a long-term option either.
He would have been the best option n Saturday, and that is not based on hindsight.
I winced when I saw Torres and Cash on the team sheet.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
I can only speak for myself but want us to go with our most effective partnerships/combinations. But I accept that Mings can’t play all the time.
I love Ty, but he’s also not a long-term option either.
He would have been the best option n Saturday, and that is not based on hindsight.
I winced when I saw Torres and Cash on the team sheet.
My immediate reaction is on record in the match thread.
“Fucking Pau again”.
I like him more than that outburst makes it seem, but he’s only any good with Carlos next to him, which is obviously not an option.
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I like him more than that outburst makes it seem, but he’s only any good with Carlos next to him, which is obviously not an option.
I assume he was pretty decent with Raul Albiol too.
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Yeah I suspect it’s more profile of player than specifically DC. I also don’t think “only” is true, more that if not it’s more likely his weaknesses exposed.
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I like him more than that outburst makes it seem, but he’s only any good with Carlos next to him, which is obviously not an option.
I assume he was pretty decent with Raul Albiol too.
Probably. I’d be guessing though. It’s a simple matter of fact about his Villa performances this season, even if it's not simple enough for some.
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Yeah I suspect it’s more profile of player than specifically DC. I also don’t think “only” is true, more that if not it’s more likely his weaknesses exposed.
Quite possibly. But alongside Konsa and with Cash at RB it’s a goal drain. Just an ineffective combination.
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We seem to concede more goals with Torres’s in the team.
That is not nuance.
I don’t think anyone is saying we can’t play well or win with Torres in the team.
Of course not helped when we play Cash aswell.
What's your issue with Cash defensively? He used to be very rash but I think he's improved that side of his game a lot.
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I like Cash, he's improved a lot, but we do seem to concede a lot from the right regardless of who's there. Disasi's issues have been done to death, but Cash has been in there too.
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Opposing coaches see our right side as a weakness.
Emery likes to focus pur attacks down the left and tends to create overloads on that side of the pitch.
Cash, more often than not has no proper cover in front of him - nobody tracking back to provide defensive support, hence why he's seen as being the weak link.
I'm not sure he's being judged fairly.
Having said that, I feel that we should be looking to upgrade, although I like what I've seen from Garcia thus far.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
I can only speak for myself but want us to go with our most effective partnerships/combinations. But I accept that Mings can’t play all the time.
I love Ty, but he’s also not a long-term option either.
Neither is Torres with all his faults and limitations . I'd sell this summer and upgrade.
Mings has at least 2 high level seasons in the tank .
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Yeah but upgrading Torres would cost an absolute fortune. I know you don’t get it, but with the right defensive set up he’s part of a team that can compete and beat the best.
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Yeah but upgrading Torres would cost an absolute fortune. I know you don’t get it, but with the right defensive set up he’s part of a team that can compete and beat the best.
It won't cost a fortune though. We need a CB who can defend and stop goals going in.
I know you don't get it , but if we don't concede as many as the opposition we win more games and don't get knocked out of cup games . Torres is a very weak defender who is costing us progress .
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Seeing as correlation not equalling causation is an apparent mystery on this site to some, I'm wondering how that reverses itself with Torres last seeing and qualifying for the Champions League, having finished 4th. Or do we pick and choose? Let's make this tedious shite make sense!
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Yawn Tim, so much evidence to show in a functional defensive set up and in form he is in the Villa side that beats the best sides.
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Yawn Tim, so much evidence to show in a functional defensive set up and in form he is in the Villa side that beats the best sides.
You're talking to someone that posted endlessly about Jermaine Beckford being an answer. Forlorn looking for logic with Coopers Injury. He was banned twice for a reason.
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Yawn Tim, so much evidence to show in a functional defensive set up and in form he is in the Villa side that beats the best sides.
Yawn Paul . the stats don't lie , or the eyes.
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Apparently they do.
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they don't , the stats have been put up many times on here .
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Yawn Tim, so much evidence to show in a functional defensive set up and in form he is in the Villa side that beats the best sides.
You're talking to someone that posted endlessly about Jermaine Beckford being an answer. Forlorn looking for logic with Coopers Injury. He was banned twice for a reason.
Yeah I know and I’m sure if I could be bothered to look has probably called Ty a liability or hopeless in the past too.
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Yawn Tim, so much evidence to show in a functional defensive set up and in form he is in the Villa side that beats the best sides.
You're talking to someone that posted endlessly about Jermaine Beckford being an answer. Forlorn looking for logic with Coopers Injury. He was banned twice for a reason.
Yeah I know and I’m sure if I could be bothered to look has probably called Ty a liability or hopeless in the past too.
Nope . He is a class CB , organiser , leader , defender , and he can pass a ball too . but yeah go check .
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They're both flawed. Mings positioning tends to be poor. He got caught the wrong side of Archer against Southampton of all sides, switched off against Liverpool, totally switched off at Bruges, Monaco. But he does put his body on the line (I think he may have a bit of the Chester about him sadly with that), good in the air, strong and not too bad instinctively either.
Torres positioning is excellent, great passer, but lacks the physical side. Both flawed, both good, neither the panacea the maximalists seem to think.
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You are absolutely right neither is the panacea - but there are likely a lot more options out there with Ty’s characteristics than Pau’s. To get both in one player you’re talking top end world class.
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Seeing as correlation not equalling causation is an apparent mystery on this site to some, I'm wondering how that reverses itself with Torres last seeing and qualifying for the Champions League, having finished 4th. Or do we pick and choose? Let's make this tedious shite make sense!
Under Emery, and with Mings playing, our points-per-game was better in 22/23 (it also shot up when he returned this season along with the number of clean sheets) and extrapolated over a 38 game season we would have got more than the 68 points that got us fourth. The defence was 15 goals better even including 11 games under that clown Gerrard whose handicap, according to some, was working with a load of not top 6 players.
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For me the biggest issue is that we're a fucking horrible side to play at Villa Park. You're absolutely not winning, you'll do well to get a point, but more than likely we'll do you. Every aspect of that dilutes far too regularly away. We have changed our style this season, we do take a lot more risks. I don't think we'll ever see the 2-0 defensive masterclass of Spurs New Years Day again. But while we concede silly goals, not helped by Emi, endless injuries this season and even last at the death, that mentality(?), that structure away from home- how we make that consistent in the way we are at Villa Park, now that is the panacea. I don't think it's down to the individuals we have available right now and by and large I like the lot of them.
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Right but one point missing here is the defence doesn’t play on its own. Clearly you want to concede as few a goals as possible, but our dynamism in attack is also something that has been absolutely key in Unai’s time - probably atypically in his career. Our ability to build from the back has been really key to our strongest moments.
Just to be clear I’m not disagreeing with the notion we need to be better defensively - we evidently do. But the defence also has to support our wider aims as a team, that’s what the best teams do. It’s a really tough balancing act.
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Opposing coaches see our right side as a weakness.
Emery likes to focus pur attacks down the left and tends to create overloads on that side of the pitch.
Cash, more often than not has no proper cover in front of him - nobody tracking back to provide defensive support, hence why he's seen as being the weak link.
I'm not sure he's being judged fairly.
Having said that, I feel that we should be looking to upgrade, although I like what I've seen from Garcia thus far.
That's where I am too. Most decent PL right backs would struggle with Rogers ahead of them in our setup. Hes just a poor fit there offensively and defensively. I think we miss what the likes of Bailey and McGinn provided there last season on that side. I think Garcia definitely has more about him on the ball so let's see how he develops, hopefully he gets a chance at Fulham up against Iwobi or Traore.
We had a similar issue on our left flank last season with Ramsey out, constantly changing guys in/out. Best combo in Emery's time on the flanks was Moreno/Ramsey so hopefully Maatsen/Ramsey can replicate that next season.
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Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .
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I think I preferred it it when the debate was whether Pau was a paella valenciana or paella de marisco man.
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
We could do with our van Dijk moment in the summer. That elevating player who doesn't come cheap but is worth 15 points on his own.
Spot on. Liverpool were in a similar situation to us when they bought Van Dijk. Forest have done it for a lot cheaper to be fair.
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Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .
And so it goes on and on and on….
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So I think there are perfectly valid arguments that Pau isn’t a dominant centre-half who is good at duels, which means if we don’t get our defensive structure right we lack that. But that doesn’t mean Pau is a bad defender or doesn’t add value - it is clear from the amount of the highest level domestic games and European games that he’s played in and we’ve won that he can perform at that level. There are a few on here who are wilfully blind to that - not sure why, but it’s odd.
We could do with our van Dijk moment in the summer. That elevating player who doesn't come cheap but is worth 15 points on his own.
Spot on. Liverpool were in a similar situation to us when they bought Van Dijk. Forest have done it for a lot cheaper to be fair.
Forest are different in that they set up very defensively and are incredibly clinical on the break. Their centre halves have done really well, but in a defensive system. Van Dijk was brilliant at solidifying the defence and augmenting Liverpool’s attacking game as well. That’s a different level and why those players are really hard to identify.
I don’t know conclusively whether Murillo or Milenkovic would struggle in a more attacking team, but it’s certainly a big question mark.
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Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .
And so it goes on and on and on….
Yes, I imagine Tim would have been with Homer in purchasing the rock from Lisa to keep tigers away in The Simpsons.
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Right but one point missing here is the defence doesn’t play on its own. Clearly you want to concede as few a goals as possible, but our dynamism in attack is also something that has been absolutely key in Unai’s time - probably atypically in his career. Our ability to build from the back has been really key to our strongest moments.
Just to be clear I’m not disagreeing with the notion we need to be better defensively - we evidently do. But the defence also has to support our wider aims as a team, that’s what the best teams do. It’s a really tough balancing act.
Spot on. It's a dynamic game, with many moving parts.
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Our playing style has evolved quite a lot in the last two years, and I suspect it's an evolution that isn't close to being complete. Remember the well-drilled high-line of 23/24, constantly catching errant forwards in offside positions? Risky, but it paid off over the season. But teams started working it out, and so we evolved. I suspect we will do so again next year. The 4-2-3-1 formation seems to be the current favourite for quite a few teams, but maybe we'll try something else next season that gives our full-backs a bit more protection and makes us harder to break against.
Maybe we'll go full Ossie Ardiles and just focussing on out-scoring the opposition each week? Who knows?
What I DO know, is that whatever formation and style our team takes next season, it will be built around players who are comfortable on the ball, can pass it really well, and who don't mind accepting possession under pressure. That's something Unai isn't going to change. And that's what Pau is. So short of finding a better version of what he does (very rare), I don't see us replacing him. And certainly not with a "bruiser" style centre-half who can't contribute as much to our attacking play.
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Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .
And so it goes on and on and on….
Yes, I imagine Tim would have been with Homer in purchasing the rock from Lisa to keep tigers away in The Simpsons.
He'd probably play it at the back and call it Terry Butcher
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Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .
And so it goes on and on and on….
It might go on & on ... but he's right on this
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You're going to be disappointed then. There's no way Emery is going to sell Torres.
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And he’s not.
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Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .
And so it goes on and on and on….
It might go on & on ... but he's right on this
Clear as day. I'm not sure Emery will sell though , we will see. A move back to Spain would suit his style. There are plenty of decent CB's out there in the EPL and beyond who can defend far better and also use the ball well (Mings being a good example) . How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
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How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
He was a near ever-present in a top four Premier League team last season.
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Torres is getting stick because no one wanted him instead of Mings on Saturday, this is compounded by the fact that his mistake led to the first goal.
I think it is good to have 2 types of CB, even better if the manager used them appropriately.
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I'm just glad it wasn't Pau that was caught smiling on the sidelines when we were 2-0 down on Saturday.
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How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
He was a near ever-present in a top four Premier League team last season.
we still let in a lot of goals but were better at outscoring teams which papered over some of the cracks.
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Cooper’s Injury was such a moron. Remember him?
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Cooper’s Injury was such a moron. Remember him?
Yes. An absolute pox.
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How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
He was a near ever-present in a top four Premier League team last season.
we still let in a lot of goals but were better at outscoring teams which papered over some of the cracks.
We have the chance to finish on the same number of wins and 1 point more compared to last season. We would lose 1 game less.
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23/24 F76 A61
24/25 F54 A49 (so far)
Doubt we will score 22 in 4 games to match 23/24
and Mings run of games instead of Torres has improved the GA per game ratios .
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How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
He was a near ever-present in a top four Premier League team last season.
we still let in a lot of goals but were better at outscoring teams which papered over some of the cracks.
We have the chance to finish on the same number of wins and 1 point more compared to last season. We would lose 1 game less.
And without wishing to point out the obvious - we out scored teams in no small part to building attacks from the back, through him.
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How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
He was a near ever-present in a top four Premier League team last season.
I like Pau Torres and think he's done well for us on the whole, although I would say that he hasn't really been back up to speed since coming back from his injury (understandably so).
I don't think it is a case of not rating Pau for me, more that we are lacking a certain type of centre half back there and Pau could be our most sellable asset to make that happen.
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23/24 F76 A61
24/25 F54 A49 (so far)
Doubt we will score 22 in 4 games to match 23/24
and Mings run of games instead of Torres has improved the GA per game ratios .
Don’t forget 22/23 when we conceded less goals than Liverpool, despite the handicap of Gerrard for the first 11 games and as one poster told us, players who were not top 6 quality.
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My favourite Pau moment is either his header against Spurs to start our comeback or the ball that split Bayern so cleanly that one half of the team had to get a new postcode.
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My favourite Pau moment is either his header against Spurs to start our comeback or the ball that split Bayern so cleanly that one half of the team had to get a new postcode.
Highlight of the season without question.
Edit: apart from the finish that followed it, obvs.
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He did a similar ball against PSG but Asensio couldn't slide it under Bananarama.
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My favourite Pau moment is either his header against Spurs to start our comeback or the ball that split Bayern so cleanly that one half of the team had to get a new postcode.
Clean sheet as well
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23/24 F76 A61
24/25 F54 A49 (so far)
Doubt we will score 22 in 4 games to match 23/24
and Mings run of games instead of Torres has improved the GA per game ratios .
Don’t forget 22/23 when we conceded less goals than Liverpool, despite the handicap of Gerrard for the first 11 games and as one poster told us, players who were not top 6 quality.
22/23 (Mings/Konsa)
GA 46
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I'm just glad it wasn't Pau that was caught smiling on the sidelines when we were 2-0 down on Saturday.
Agreed, unfortunately he was the one getting caught constantly out of position on the pitch.
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In my number-of-posts rendering this thread has reached 131 pages, of which I'd say 9 would be necessary to understand the entire conversation. The rest has been more repetitive than a Steve Reich gig.
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Monty, respectfully, your page settings are a disgrace. This is page 40.
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So you could cut the thread down to 2 pages or so? I do see the appeal.
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I'm on fifty posts per page. You seem to be on fifteen. I can't handle the tension of keep reloading the pages to see if VillaTim has posted lately. That's the sort of content you need NOW. Not after a click and a half-second wait while the next page loads.
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Are you on AOL dial - up?
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Y
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E
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Sssss
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I miss Blueyonder dial up.
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In my number-of-posts rendering this thread has reached 131 pages, of which I'd say 9 would be necessary to understand the entire conversation. The rest has been more repetitive than a Steve Reich gig.
It's definitely the most tedious debate on here, now. Which is some going as we're pretty good at it. Also on 131. It's quite the buzz having that little wait to see how the debate is progressing.
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How many top 15 EPL teams would Torres be able to hold down a place in , the answer is not many .
He was a near ever-present in a top four Premier League team last season.
we still let in a lot of goals but were better at outscoring teams which papered over some of the cracks.
We have the chance to finish on the same number of wins and 1 point more compared to last season. We would lose 1 game less.
And without wishing to point out the obvious - we out scored teams in no small part to building attacks from the back, through him.
Our attack looked much more fluid in that Aug-Dec period due to Diaby's arrival, Watkins' consistency and Bailey's kick up the arse due to the former. And Dougie pulling the strings plus weighing in with more than his fair share of goals and assists.
Partic that Sep/Nov period it always felt that if we got the ball down that right side we'd get an overload and invariably score. Teams knew about it, but couldn't seem to stop it. It's rare when we've had that sort of attacking potency in my Villa supporting life.
Torres may have played some role in moving the ball quicker through the lines than most centre halves. But I reckon you overplay his role in our attacking success during that period. I do like some aspects of his play when he's on it. Not just his passing but his general composure on the ball, which can be Barry-eque.
But the weaknesses are too much to overlook. Yes, you can have centre halves with different skillsets; one stronger or quicker than t'other. But each one should be at least vaguely competent in one on one duels with the centre forward and not get tossed around like a ragdoll.
It's an area Emery himself flagged as in need of improvement last season and this. When it first looked like an issue in winter 2023 I was fairly certain that 12-18 months in English football would iron out those kinks and we'd see a marked difference. If Grealish - more of a silky, flighty winger - could bulk up during his injury woes in 2017 I'm not sure why a player with Torres' frame couldn't. It's not as if he was going to lose any more pace, let's face it.
But if anything he's regressed this year.
A bit too early for post mortems, aye. But If we do miss out on top 4/top 5 I agree it's the goals scored column we'll point to more as the biggest factor.
As well as the extra points we've missed out on, the narrow wins we actually got against the likes of Soton, Leicester, Everton and Wolves at home looks like it will most likely do for us.
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Good post Mr Gage.
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I miss Blueyonder dial up.
Those were the days. I do still have a Blueyonder email address though😄
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Torres is heavier than Mings by 3kg. Given there's nothing too any of them fat wise, that's lean muscle mass. Torres is marginally shorter too; 1.91m v 1.96m.
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I think Torres reads the game well - but his recovery pace and strength doesnt help. In the CM and CD we havent managed to get a settled team until quite recently which I think is a big part. I do think Dougie is a big miss
I also think the churn is as much as anything our problem - the fact we have sell - and then have to buy to replace who we sell. So I think its a team thing as much as anything - we cant keep the ball and "manage" the game as well as we could for large parts of last season.
With Pau specifically, I dont have a huge issue - my only frustration is there are maybe 3 or 4 times where Mings has been better suited but hasnt played.
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Leave me out of it, thanks.
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Torres is heavier than Mings by 3kg. Given there's nothing too any of them fat wise, that's lean muscle mass. Torres is marginally shorter too; 1.91m v 1.96m.
I'm not having it, that's like Shay Given being 6ft 2.
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Shay Given has a small man's face, no doubt there.
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Shay Given has a small man's face, no doubt there.
I got in a lift with him at the Mailbox once, I'm bang on 6ft and I was taller than him.
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Shay Given has a small man's face, no doubt there.
I got in a lift with him at the Mailbox once, I'm bang on 6ft and I was taller than him.
Pity the fools who are under 6ft tall.
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Shay Given has a small man's face, no doubt there.
I got in a lift with him at the Mailbox once, I'm bang on 6ft and I was taller than him.
But you still wear stacked heel loafers from your disco glamrock days.
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Shay Given has a small man's face, no doubt there.
I got in a lift with him at the Mailbox once, I'm bang on 6ft and I was taller than him.
Pity the fools who are under 6ft tall.
What about if you're six feet on one leg and five eleven and a half on the other?
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Shay Given has a small man's face, no doubt there.
I got in a lift with him at the Mailbox once, I'm bang on 6ft and I was taller than him.
Pity the fools who are under 6ft tall.
What about if you're six feet on one leg and five eleven and a half on the other?
Try putting your other shoe on.
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I am starting to wonder if he's ever going to be really dependable defensively in this league, or if it just doesn't suit him.
And yes, played in a high achieving Villa team etc etc, but hey ho.
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If we’re going to play this horrible, stodgy, narrow, style (and I really hope that isn’t the plan) then he’s not the right player at all.
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Poor today. No pace which is a big worry.
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Torres is as bad a defender as I have ever seen. Slow, poor with his head, cannot pass (despite his reputation), does not get stuck in. What a lump.
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Not watched much football then?
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Another pau performance.
Mings was carrying him today. Really poor at times.
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Pau had a poor game, Mings was marginally better but not great.
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Think mings was better than pau. He did a lot of defending today. Mings was probably our best defender today
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But either way the defence were stuffed by the set up of the midfield. It was so narrow, passing out effectively was virtually impossible.
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Torres is as bad a defender as I have ever seen. Slow, poor with his head, cannot pass (despite his reputation), does not get stuck in. What a lump.
Said for a while he isn't cut out for this league . He's getting worse too not better .
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Torres was appalling today, first half in particular he gave away the ball constantly. Weak as piss in any tackle or duel as seen with the goal. Mings/Torres CB partnership will hopefully be never seen again.
Id be happy to move Torres onbthis week. He was very good for his first six months or so but has struggled with PL football for quite some time now.
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But either way the defence were stuffed by the set up of the midfield. It was so narrow, passing out effectively was virtually impossible.
Agree paul.. i thought the midfield setup last week was a failure so i cant actually believe unai did the same setup again this week
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Think sadly Pau is looking less and less effective. Think some of it is a confidence thing - hes an amazing player but for numerous reasons hes not been at the level of his first season
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Gave the ball away time after time.
Weak in the tackle and out muscled for the goal.
Can the myth be busted now ?
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Yeah, let's sell him at the bottom of his value at the last minute for no profit and no time to replace him when we're already one or two defenders short.
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Think mings was better than pau. He did a lot of defending today. Mings was probably our best defender today
Mings was shite, the handful of times Brentford attacked Mings was way out of position. Including their goal. Not his fault, he was never going to work as RCB. The only one of our back 5 to get a pass today was Cash.
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Think mings was better than pau. He did a lot of defending today. Mings was probably our best defender today
Mings was shite, the handful of times Brentford attacked Mings was way out of position. Including their goal. Not his fault, he was never going to work as RCB. The only one of our back 5 to get a pass today was Cash.
Mings played a great ball to set Watkins away today in fairness .
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Torres was appalling today, first half in particular he gave away the ball constantly. Weak as piss in any tackle or duel as seen with the goal. Mings/Torres CB partnership will hopefully be never seen again.
Id be happy to move Torres onbthis week. He was very good for his first six months or so but has struggled with PL football for quite some time now.
For the right offer i'd move him on, but nobody is paying what we paid for him .
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Gave the ball away time after time.
Weak in the tackle and out muscled for the goal.
Can the myth be busted now ?
It’s not a myth is it? If you’ve watched Villa across Unai’s time his ability has been demonstrated. He’s obviously not been great in recent times, but doesn’t mean his ability is a “myth”.
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Gave the ball away time after time.
Weak in the tackle and out muscled for the goal.
Can the myth be busted now ?
It’s not a myth is it? If you’ve watched Villa across Unai’s time his ability has been demonstrated. He’s obviously not been great in recent times, but doesn’t mean his ability is a “myth”.
He is a myth wrapped up in an enigma.
Keep telling everybody that he’s playing on a different level and many will believe.
The reality that I see is that he gives the ball away as much as he makes a successful pass, he has the turning circle of an oil tanker, I could outrun him, he is awful in the air and my nan is stronger in the tackle.
But hey, the enlightened amongst us tell us he is fundamental to the way we play.
What do I know ? Nothing obviously.
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Think mings was better than pau. He did a lot of defending today. Mings was probably our best defender today
Mings was shite, the handful of times Brentford attacked Mings was way out of position. Including their goal. Not his fault, he was never going to work as RCB. The only one of our back 5 to get a pass today was Cash.
I think pau was so bad defensively it made mings job more difficult. I simply cannot believe for what the 3rd or 4th season we are going again with this same back four. I mean we have seen how bad thia defence can be.
Last week we kept a clean sheet but there eas moments especially in 1st half we saw some terrible defending.
This week was even worse. The point of onana signing was to help with the defensive work and he doesnt. Waste of 50m. We should have spent that 50m ona cb and a right back. That kayode was 18m and he looks better than all our right backs and younger.
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Gave the ball away time after time.
Weak in the tackle and out muscled for the goal.
Can the myth be busted now ?
It’s not a myth is it? If you’ve watched Villa across Unai’s time his ability has been demonstrated. He’s obviously not been great in recent times, but doesn’t mean his ability is a “myth”.
He is a myth wrapped up in an enigma.
Keep telling everybody that he’s playing on a different level and many will believe.
The reality that I see is that he gives the ball away as much as he makes a successful pass, he has the turning circle of an oil tanker, I could outrun him, he is awful in the air and my nan is stronger in the tackle.
But hey, the enlightened amongst us tell us he is fundamental to the way we play.
What do I know ? Nothing obviously.
Well no, it’s really not that cryptic. It’s fairly self evident he hasn’t been playing great for a while. But it’s also evident from his previous time here he’s an exceptional passer and a good centre-back. Both things can be true.
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Gave the ball away time after time.
Weak in the tackle and out muscled for the goal.
Can the myth be busted now ?
It’s not a myth is it? If you’ve watched Villa across Unai’s time his ability has been demonstrated. He’s obviously not been great in recent times, but doesn’t mean his ability is a “myth”.
He is a myth wrapped up in an enigma.
Keep telling everybody that he’s playing on a different level and many will believe.
The reality that I see is that he gives the ball away as much as he makes a successful pass, he has the turning circle of an oil tanker, I could outrun him, he is awful in the air and my nan is stronger in the tackle.
But hey, the enlightened amongst us tell us he is fundamental to the way we play.
What do I know ? Nothing obviously.
Well no, it’s really not that cryptic. It’s fairly self evident he hasn’t been playing great for a while. But it’s also evident from his previous time here he’s an exceptional passer and a good centre-back. Both things can be true.
I think that’s being extremely generous, but let’s just suppose it is true. Maybe he’s the defensive equivalent of Leon Bailey. Someone who played well for one season.
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Last season we were abysmal at the back at times, barely kept a clean sheet for large swathes of it and had a horrible run away where we shipped loads. We have the same defence.
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I’m not sure it’s that generous, he started most of the games when we finished 4th. Maybe he is like Bailey, but I suspect it’s more about form and the right combinations.
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Think mings was better than pau. He did a lot of defending today. Mings was probably our best defender today
Mings was shite, the handful of times Brentford attacked Mings was way out of position. Including their goal. Not his fault, he was never going to work as RCB. The only one of our back 5 to get a pass today was Cash.
I think pau was so bad defensively it made mings job more difficult. I simply cannot believe for what the 3rd or 4th season we are going again with this same back four. I mean we have seen how bad thia defence can be.
Last week we kept a clean sheet but there eas moments especially in 1st half we saw some terrible defending.
Mings left his station at RCB regularly today, that's not Torres fault. I only saw the highlights last week but Mings was awol for their chance at the start and could have done better for the play that led to Konsa's red card too. That's two games against some of the weakest forwards we will play against all season.
As others are saying, we are actually worse in possession if that's even possible.