Pau Torres appears to be given the opportunity to improve his Aston Villa performances while on international duty with Spain.
The 26-year-old, who joined Villa from Villarreal for £33 million with add-ons, has had a rough start to life in the Premier League.
However, after being called up to represent his country during the international break, games against Georgia and Cyprus should provide him with an excellent opportunity to gain confidence.
After Unai Emery persuaded him to transfer to Birmingham over the summer, the centre-back arrived at Villa Park with a strong reputation.
Following his form for the Yellow Submarines, he had been linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs in recent years.
The Spaniard was considered as the appropriate candidate to assist improve the Villans’ defensive options as they attempt to build on their strong season last year.
Torres’ Premier League debut hasn’t gone well, as his team has conceded nine goals in their first four games, with the defender appearing in all of them.
Despite Emiliano Martinez’s 13 shutouts in 38 appearances last season, their only league clean sheet came against struggling Everton.
The defender’s stats in those games aren’t attractive either, as he has no interceptions and has been successful in only two of his five attempted tackles (WhoScored).
He’s also been dribbled past by rival players three times as he struggles to adjust to the pace of the English Premier League.
While his pass completion rate was superb in the first three games – just
If he is given the nod by Luis de la Fuente, the upcoming international games should provide him with the opportunity to come back to his best and bring some form back to Villa.
Spain will be strong favorites in each of those matches, and conceding would be surprising given that they will certainly dominate the ball and create far too many chances.
Torres will be able to take a respite following a difficult start at his new club, but he will be sure that he can rapidly adjust to the level when he returns to Villa Park next week.
