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.
