Whilst the 4-2 victory against Nottingham Forest helps to keep Villa in the chase for Champions League qualification, there seems to be little respite in terms of injury headaches.
With Villa cruising at half-time and sitting on a 3-1 lead, the recently returned Pau Torres did not re-appear for the second half.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe reason provided by Unai Emery in his post-match press conference was that the Spaniard had been withdrawn due to suffering leg pain. Torres has only recently been gently recuperated back to match fitness after struggling to shake off an ankle injury sustained in the run-up to the festive period. It can only be hoped that an abundance of caution is being shown for the 27-year-old.
Torres had been a big miss, with this Villa side’s form and results differing markedly when the former Villarreal defender is unavailable.
Little is known about the full extent of any injury and we will have to await the outcome of a scan this week to determine if Villa will be down to the bare bones in terms of centre-half cover.
As we are without Tyrone Mings (ACL), Ezri Konsa (Knee sprain), Diego Carlos (Hamstring) and now potentially Torres again, it has resulted in a recall for forgotten man Calum Chambers.
Chambers, who Emery has publicly stated had been encouraged to leave B6 both in the summer 2023 and January 2024 transfer windows, is now the only recognised backup partner for Clement Lenglet. Lenglet is himself a Barcelona outcast, arguably beginning to gently impress after a string of solid displays in a Villa shirt himself.
Read Now: Match Report – Villa 4-2 Forest