da betobet： Aston Villa supporters could hardly have imagined the remarkable turnaround the club has gone through in the previous 12 months.
da stake casino： Confidence was at an all-time low following the sacking of Steven Gerrard, yet Unai Emery has them currently challenging for a Champions League berth this term.
Their recent 4-1 thrashing of West Ham United was further evidence that they can turn on the style, and it was a wonderful performance.
With another Europa Conference League tie coming up, Emery could rest a few players tomorrow evening, with Pau Torres potentially set to give way having not had the best of games against David Moyes’ men.
How did Pau Torres perform vs West Ham United?
The summer arrival has been a solid acquisition and with Tyrone Mings likely to be ruled out for the rest of the current season, he should have a prominent role in the starting XI.
Against West Ham, however, the Spaniard was not at his best. Jarrod Bowen scored for the Hammers with a shot that took a heavy deflection off the centre-back, while during the match, he was dribbled past twice, lost possession 11 times and won just two of his five total duels.
Villa’s attacking threat meant this lacklustre display could be largely forgotten, yet Emery would be wise in dropping him to the bench and unleashing a defender who was signed by Gerrard in the summer of 2022 – Diego Carlos.
Will Diego Carlos start for Aston Villa vs AZ Alkmaar?
Rotation will be key for Villa to maintain their current form and this could allow the Brazilian defender to come into the starting XI.
The £100k-per-week brute is in his second season at Villa Park and with his maiden campaign disrupted by injury, he will be hoping his second term is more productive.
Indeed, he played just three times last season, yet the 30-year-old has already featured eight times so far during 2023/24, and it is clear Emery has faith in the player.
For his performances in the Premier League, he ranks fifth across the squad for accurate passes per game (32.2), while also ranking seventh for tackles (1.2) and sixth for interceptions (0.8) per game.
In the latter two metrics, he ranks above Torres and thus could slot into the heart of the defence easily. His display against Zrinjski was a joy to behold as the former Sevilla defender completed 97% of his passes, won 50% of his aerial duels and lost possession just three times as he demonstrated his expertise on the European scene having made 14 Champions League appearances for the Spanish side.
Ollie Watkins has previously lauded the player as a “monster” due to his physical nature and aggressiveness and these are key qualities which have allowed him to put last season's injury nightmare behind him.
With plenty of challenging matches ahead in the coming weeks, Emery will likely place importance on constant rotation of his team in order to keep everyone fresh and fighting on both domestic and European fronts.
With this in mind, he can now boldly ditch Torres and give a start to Carlos. There is no doubt he deserves it after his last continental display.