Yahoo News Pau Torres reveals special factor in signing for Aston Villa and fires Euro warning
Pau Torres has revealed he had to sign for Aston Villa last summer - just so he could work under Unai Emery again. The central defender was a £30m recruit from Villarreal, where the two men tasted European glory by winning the Europa League in 2020/21.
And as they prepare for their latest tilt at success, this time in the Europa Conference League, Torres told TNT Sports: "This is my first season at Aston Villa and my team-mates make it all very easy. They help me in everything, and as well for me it was important to know the coach, Unai and his staff.
“Because I worked with them in Villarreal, it gives me confidence. For me, it's special to be here. Unai wants the players to believe in his ideas, in his football. You need to work every day at a high level if you want to play for an Unai team.
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“When he left Villarreal to come here, I knew I needed again one coach in my career who was pushing me every day, so I needed to come back with Unai to improve my level again. Now, I'm really, really happy to work with him here.
“It's another step in my career, and I think we are doing a really good work this season. We are improving the results of last season for Aston Villa, and now, in the last one-and-a-half months, we are fighting for very good things.”
While a top-four finish and potential Champions League qualification is still in Villa’s sights, their immediate focus will be on Thursday’s Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg against Lille at Villa Park (8pm kick-off).
The game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and discovery+, and Torres said of his preparations: “In the Premier League, you have options to lose a game and go back the next week... here in Europe, it's different. You can't lose a player or you can't have a red card in minute 20 because you need to keep all the team focused in the two legs. I
“In every moment, the game can change. One action can decide the result. You haven't got the opportunity in two weeks to have a solution for this. You need to be really, really focused.”
Villa go to France for the return leg next week, April 18, with the game kicking off at 5.45pm. The winners of the tie will progress to a last-four clash with either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce.
