Pau Torres

[brontebilly]

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.

[VillaTim]

Bottom line is Torres needs moving on he's not good enough, Mings has 2-3 years left .

[Brazilian Villain]

I think I preferred it it when the debate was whether Pau was a paella valenciana or paella de marisco man.

[tomd2103]

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.

[RamboandBruno]

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….

[PaulWinch again]

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.

[PaulWinch again]

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.

[rooboy316]

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.

[Smithy]

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.

[Villa in Denmark]

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

[oldhill_avfc]

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

[Dave]

You're going to be disappointed then. There's no way Emery is going to sell Torres.

[PaulWinch again]

And he’s not.

[VillaTim]

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 .

[Dave]

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.