Pau Torres

[Villaphan04]

2 hours ago, Mr_Dogg said:

He's another level to what we are used to. He's elite.

he has a legitimate case for being one of the best in the world for the role he plays. Can't think of another player who is as good as him playing out from the back. Genuine world class

[Tom13]

Name me a CB who won't lose duels against forwards. I remember Mings being done by Joelinton four times in one game at St James'.

I think because Pau has a reputation of being a 'soft' defender people look for it a little more. Don't get me wrong he's no powerhouse CB like Mings, but boy is he quality. Him, Moreno, Diaby, Luiz and Kamara give us things we haven't had for years and years. Really exciting times.

[Delphinho123]

40 minutes ago, Mr_Dogg said:

As an out and out defender probably not.

But as a player to improve us as an overall team, he will take us somewhere else.

Not sure about that, but agree his passing range can really help us. Certainly a different type of defender!

[MWARLEY2]

First player we have ever had that celebrates a big win with  paella i  guess.

 

[villaslash]

1 hour ago, MWARLEY2 said:

First player we have ever had that celebrates a big win with  paella i  guess.

 

You are angering the ghost of Carlos Cuellar’s beard with this statement.

[Jareth]

He has been on a clear path of improvement, probably helped by Konsa's form - but he is very good and only getting better

[BigJim]

6 hours ago, Delphinho123 said:

He’s not as good as Mings. So I disagree. 

I have to agree with this. Mings looks faster, stronger, more aggressive, better in the air, though Torres is a clear winner with the ball at his feet.

He's getting a quite extraordinary amount of praise on here for his performance against Brighton. I don't think he deserves it quite yet, though I certainly hope he will turn out to be an elite performer for us.

I just watched the game again to study a couple of things, because our general performance seemed a bit different from usual in terms of playing out from the back.

I counted how many times we did that v Brighton and I found that when he had the ball, Emi went long about twice as often as playing it out short (I counted 19 times out of 29). I think this was a big factor in our success and for sure Brighton weren't expecting it.

This meant Torres saw less of the ball than usual. By my calculation he had about a 77% success rate with his passing, though nearly all his passes were short and backwards or square. He did attempt a few adventurous passes but mostly didn't find his man with them. He had three or four forward surges but didn't really have much success with the ball at the end of them.  He made one or two blocks and tackles. I don't remember him heading the ball once.  I think Konsa had a far busier time as most of Brighton's threatening approaches came on his side.

In sum, not the majestic performance some are making out, but he certainly looked a bit better than he has in other games, and I'm confident he will carry on improving.

 

 

 

 

[Delphinho123]

7 hours ago, BigJim said:

I have to agree with this. Mings looks faster, stronger, more aggressive, better in the air, though Torres is a clear winner with the ball at his feet.

He's getting a quite extraordinary amount of praise on here for his performance against Brighton. I don't think he deserves it quite yet, though I certainly hope he will turn out to be an elite performer for us.

I just watched the game again to study a couple of things, because our general performance seemed a bit different from usual in terms of playing out from the back.

I counted how many times we did that v Brighton and I found that when he had the ball, Emi went long about twice as often as playing it out short (I counted 19 times out of 29). I think this was a big factor in our success and for sure Brighton weren't expecting it.

This meant Torres saw less of the ball than usual. By my calculation he had about a 77% success rate with his passing, though nearly all his passes were short and backwards or square. He did attempt a few adventurous passes but mostly didn't find his man with them. He had three or four forward surges but didn't really have much success with the ball at the end of them.  He made one or two blocks and tackles. I don't remember him heading the ball once.  I think Konsa had a far busier time as most of Brighton's threatening approaches came on his side.

In sum, not the majestic performance some are making out, but he certainly looked a bit better than he has in other games, and I'm confident he will carry on improving.

 

 

 

 

Torres has been ‘ok’ at best since arriving here. He’s cost us a couple of goals and struggled physically. 

Im confident/hopeful he’ll improve as he goes and as he learns the league but right now, he’d be behind a fully fit Mings and Konsa in the pecking order, no question. 

[Stevo985]

He's going to be excellent

[DakotaVilla]

Another case where Don Unai is slowly educating the fan base. Yes, Pau needs to develop physically and should be given the time to do that but to have two ball playing CBs and one as comfortable as Pau is in possession is basically like having a cheat code. 

[Pinebro]

Genuinely did not think we would cope with Mings being out.

But Pau has surprised me with how quickly he has adapted.

[Pinebro]

31 minutes ago, DakotaVilla said:

Another case where Don Unai is slowly educating the fan base. Yes, Pau needs to develop physically and should be given the time to do that but to have two ball playing CBs and one as comfortable as Pau is in possession is basically like having a cheat code. 

Yep football has changed.

Yes you will concede goals at times from playing ou from the back and a high line but it don't matter. 

The pros far outweighs the cons.

[DCJonah]

I've been impressed with some of his passing but I think we forget how much better Mings became at this under Emery. 

[Tom13]

1 minute ago, DCJonah said:

I've been impressed with some of his passing but I think we forget how much better Mings became at this under Emery. 

Not at all for me - Mings became good on the ball, Pau is just another level though.

[Delphinho123]

13 minutes ago, Tom13 said:

Not at all for me - Mings became good on the ball, Pau is just another level though.

Yeh, Mings is also better at every aspect of defending though. Stronger, faster, better in the air, more aggressive, more of a leader. 
Torres is an average defender at present who can pass the ball well. 

I need much more of a sample size to properly judge him. So far, he's been ok. Nothing more, nothing less. 

[Pongo Waring]

Love Ming's. But Pau is definitely on another level. I think Konsa has really stepped up since the Mings injury too. 

[Delphinho123]

10 minutes ago, Pongo Waring said:

Love Ming's. But Pau is definitely on another level. I think Konsa has really stepped up since the Mings injury too. 

'on another level'? 

At what, passing? Mings is better than him in every department bar maybe passing - which I think Mings has improved at a lot in the last 12 months. 

I hope Torres continues to improve and learn the league to the point where Mings can't get back into the team when he's fit but right now, he's not a patch on Mings and his overall game. 

[lexicon]

I would LOVE to see a back 3 of Torres, Mings and Konsa at some point. 

[Pongo Waring]

25 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

'on another level'? 

At what, passing? Mings is better than him in every department bar maybe passing - which I think Mings has improved at a lot in the last 12 months. 

I hope Torres continues to improve and learn the league to the point where Mings can't get back into the team when he's fit but right now, he's not a patch on Mings and his overall game. 

Football intelligence, tactical awareness, passing, timing. Pau is a proper footballer. 

We wouldn't of beaten Brighton yesterday 6-1 with Mings inplace of Pau. He just couldn't do what Pau did tactically. He helped Kamara out so much, stepping into the midfield. 

Pau takes us to the next level. The champions league. 

[Tom13]

42 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

Yeh, Mings is also better at every aspect of defending though. Stronger, faster, better in the air, more aggressive, more of a leader. 
Torres is an average defender at present who can pass the ball well. 

I need much more of a sample size to properly judge him. So far, he's been ok. Nothing more, nothing less. 

But my reply was to a post which was purely about on the ball abilities.

Anyway, I think Pau will give more to us overall - hence why Emery signed him, and just because he's not 'all action' really doesn't mean he's bad at defending.