Not because the Englishman was about to enter the pitch, but because many fans were concerned that their star summer signing had sustained yet another injury.
Fortunately, according to Unai Emery, there isn’t anything to be concerned about; it was a precautionary substitution since Pau Torres felt ‘pain’ in the back of his leg.
In an interview with Birmingham Live, the Aston Villa manager discussed Calum Chambers’ performance and how he could have left during the January transfer window.
That was well documented, but the 29-year-old stuck put and was instructed by his management, “You are here now to help us practice, and if we need you, you must be ready to play.”
And he was ready! Despite playing very little this season, with zero minutes in the Premier League before Forest and only 178 minutes in Europe, he performed admirably given the circumstances.
Unai Emery stated that Calum Chambers was’very crucial’ and that after 15 minutes, the team was ‘comfortable’ and ‘dominating’ the match with him.
“Of course, when Calum Chambers stayed here after the transfer window, I told him ‘you are here now to help us practice and in case we need you, you need to be ready to play’,” Emery added.
“He played the second half and was quite significant. After the first 15 minutes, the team felt comfortable and dominant in the second half with him.
Fingers crossed, the Aston Villa medical staff is simply being cautious with Torres because he has only returned after a few months away.
Tyrone Mings, Diego Carlos, and Ezri Konsa are all injured, with the latter two’s comeback date undetermined.
So the last thing we need is Torres to plummet again, especially with the knockout stages of Europe coming, a showdown with Ajax looming, and a key top-four clash against Tottenham.
Certain players on this team, including Torres, should be wrapped in cotton wool.
The result moved the Midlands club five points clear of Spurs in fifth and eight points ahead of Manchester United in sixth, indicating that European competition is set to return next season.
Unai Emery’s high-flying squad has had its fair share of injury issues this season, making their success and Saturday’s victory all the more impressive.
