Pau Torres

Mbuasa is in there, and then, uh, Ri- Rogery will now play because Mattson's injured.

But well, Pau Torres isn't in there 'cause he's injured as well, and it feels like we get one part of the puzzle set, and then someone else comes out through injury or suspension, and we're not gonna see Jackson, Mbom, Manzambi, Goretzka, Rogery, or Mattson, Pau.

Like, when are these players all gonna play as a unit? Th- you know, tho- those players have played for the first team.

When are they actually gonna start a game together? Could be ages yet.

So kind of blown it at the end.

But even if you go from the Bruges games, who are our best players, or couple of our best players? I'm, I'm using these specifically to make a point.

Joao Gomes and Pau Torres, probably two of our better players on the night.

Torres comes off after a few minutes for, for Mings.

And then to do it at Villa Park.

And sure, th- they're missing players too now, and they've sold a few, and I, I get that Pau Torres went down early.

But look, they told us not to make excuses, so I'm sure they won't.

We dominated in the second half, and we were fantastic today.

I did feel we were a little poor, but I also felt Villa were poor.

And I, I messaged you at half time saying, "Matt, I think we're, we're poor right now, but we have the opportunity.

Pau Torres has gone down injured.

Mings has come in.

And, you know, when you're looking at that team, yeah, it felt like that.

But, I mean, I think, you know, our sort of woes started way earlier, mate, when Pau Torres goes down.

um and that is just a massive massive kick in the balls um it's no disrespect to tyrone but there is obviously a massive drop off profile two vastly vastly different defenders there that you know their skill sets are total opposite if we've been frank and there was part of me that thought okay well Maybe, I think we might have discussed this on the last podcast, mate, but against somebody like De Lappe, we perhaps felt that Tyrone's profile probably suited that, but Liam De Lappe was just on it, man.

He was just unstoppable today.

Villa losing today because we went down to 10 men because of an injury.

I mean, Pau Torres and Ian Mattson get injured.

I mean, how...

It's just extraordinary.

But I do think it's luckless.

I think you go down to 10 men.

I think Pau Torres gets injured.

That's luck, isn't it? And I think if I had a consistent criticism during my time at Villa, I'd say there is always an issue with composed to casual where we go from minute 45 to about 60 where we just seem to start slow.

And we've seen a few of these already this season, looking back to the first game with Gomez sending off, which compounded what was already a miserable day.

And today we lost Pau Torres after 25 minutes.

Now we've suffered.

In the Emery era, we've really suffered with injuries.

And it looks like this season started no different to any other.

So he was withdrawn after 25 minutes to be replaced by Tyrone Mings.

And I think that definitely does affect us because I think we know the importance of Pau Torres and what he brings to Aston Villa.

And this is no disrespect to Tyrone, but he just hasn't quite got the Pau Torres feel about him.

We needed to take off someone and it was Taylor.

His time is coming after Pau's injury.

So he is fine.

Should be back in the squad for the next one.

But Mings has to play right because Pau's injured.

Well, Lindelof played left centre-back last season.

Did he? Yeah.

I would have been ready to go.

A, because of space, it was him 1v1.

Where was McGinn? Where's the player that was on that left-hand side doubling up and helping out Ian Mattson, especially in that second half when they were tearing down on that goal? Well, yes, it's slightly concerning because we've lost the game and we've had Pau go off.

I'm just guessing here.

I imagine Jackson's injured.

I mean, most of the players that started today played midweek and it clearly showed today with the injuries.

Mattson's injury, played midweek.

You look at Pau Torres, played midweek.

I'm not sure if Nicholas Jackson got injured, but he came off.

I'd say hopefully Harwood-Bellis will start.

I'd say Pau Torres.

I'd say Mattson left back.

Um, I would say then you've got, um, McGinn.