Defender sees positives for Aston Villa in Bayern Munich defeat

Pau Torres believes Villa will be stronger for Friday’s 2-1 pre-season defeat to Bayern Munich.

Unai Emery’s men finished their tour of the Far East with a loss after a late comeback against the German giants in Hong Kong fell just short.

A stunning goal from Colombia international Luiz Diaz, which doubled Bayern’s lead after Kim Minjae’s first half opener, proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Joao Gomes scored to reduce the deficit before Tammy Abraham was denied a leveller by Manuel Neuer in the closing stages.

Despite the result, defender Torres reckons the match was good preparation for next week’s European Super Cup showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.

“It was a really good game, a really good test for us to prepare for the final next week,” he said.

“I think we played well against a really good team. The first half was more or less equal; they scored with a set piece and we need to improve that part, correct things.

“We have now a couple of days to prepare for the final, but I think we need to play like today.”

He added: “It's always good to play against one team like them; it's always good to play during the pre-season to test ourselves and to know, more or less, in which level we are.

“I think we competed really well today, and this is the work that we need to do in the rest of the season.”

Villa’s squad were due to land back in the UK on Saturday morning and they will return to training at Bodymoor Heath on Monday, when they will be joined by Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Ezri Konsa who all missed the Far East tour after playing at the World Cup.

Emery’s squad faced a hectic schedule with the match against Bayern following friendly wins in Indonesia and Thailand but Torres believes the trip has been a positive one.

“We had a really good welcome in each country,” he said.

“We felt all the support from the fans in Asia, and we are happy to be here after three years in a row, in the USA, now here in Asia.

“We are happy to be here, to know different countries, different cultures, and for us it’s been good.”