Aston Villa vs Liverpool, and it is not an exaggeration to say that this is the biggest game of the young career of Andres Garcia. He has made two powerful runs on the right flank, welcomed by a crowded crowd under the lights. Aston Villa grows in it.
Then it happens. A lost pass. Intercepted by Diogo Jota. Punished by Mohamed Salah. Garcia puts his hands on his head and then bends in fear. Villa's captain John McGinn racet to the young defender to show support. Soon the Villa -Park public also responds.
“It was a mistake,” Garcia tells Sky Sports. “An error that every player will make in his career. John McGinn came to me, but I saw support from all my teammates. When they saw me at the time, they gave me their support very quickly.”
He adds: “I also noticed the support of the fans, because they immediately applauded me again. We are professionals, we have to be able to tackle these kinds of mistakes. In the end we have that for a winning mentality to have. “
That mentality is one of the reasons why Villa was convinced by Garcia. Supporters saw it close to the leaders of the Premier League. He not only started the game well, but impressively regretted after the mistake of contributing to a pulsating 2-2 draw.
“I knew that I had to recover quickly because I had to help the team. You have to get up quickly and have a good mentality.” That attitude that impressed his new teammates – even who experienced as former Real Madrid star Marco Asensio.
Asensio, about Garcia, says Sky Sports: “The truth is that I didn't know him, but I can now say that he has a big career for him. That kind of wrong, I made a lot in my career.
“It all comes down to a mentality. I see the work he applies every day, how he tries to improve, the work in the gym and on the field, with the staff, the desire to keep learning and growing. It is Basic but not all players have it and he has it super important. “
It is worth remembering how quickly this happens for the young full-back. With three goals in his last five performances for Levante, all spectacular, Garcia arrived in a high in villa, but the Premier League still represents a gigantic leap forward in his career.
His debut came against the brilliant Brazilian attacker Matheus Cunha in Wolves, for a tough test against Tottenham's Heung-Min Son back in Villa Park. Then Jota came. The weekend brings the prospect that he comes face to face with Cole Palmer and Chelsea.
“It's a huge change,” admits Garcia. “The step from in the second division to one of the best competitions, if not the best, it is noticeable. The players are all physical, all fast and they have quality. The decisions are much faster and you have to get used to it.”
Garcia, 22, has already shown impressive physicality. At 6'1 “he has a wide framework for a full-back and can handle himself. But he can also move. Villa-supporters are already getting used to seeing him who shoots up and down that right flank.
At the moment, Garcia is on average crossing more per 90 minutes than any other player in the Premier League. A winger when he is very young, he still has the speed to steal a garden on his opponent and to hit dangerous balls in the penalty box. He can both create and suppress them.
“I would describe myself as a full-back that helps a lot of defensive, but can also be a weapon in attack, someone who can generate imbalances with one-on-one and, above all, a good crosser. That's more or less.
Despite his fault against Liverpool, he is actually unusually safe in his use of the ball to date, so that he has completed more than 92 percent of his passes. But there is also adventure in his game and perhaps it is that side of Garcia that will arise as his confidence develops.
For Levante there was his flagging volley from the edge of the box against Mirandes followed by his 95th minute equalizer against Huesca, a curly effort in the top corner with his left foot. He ran 80 meters against Tenerife before he found exactly the same place.
It is clear that there will be much more. Speaking with Unai Emery about the impact of Garcia, and in particular how he responded to the setback of making that misplaced pass, the villa manager makes it clear that it is all part of the player's learning process.
The message from the boss? “Be free every day,” Emery explains. “Training, preparing, playing matches. He has the potential. He will need time. But he will help us now. And with his mentality I am very optimistic. With his mentality he will do his way.”
He adds: “We know, we can see, there is still work to be done. But he competes very well with his characteristics as a player. Sometimes we think he needs time to get better performance at the level Where we are well performed.
With Emery's guidance, there is every reason to expect that those performance will improve. Garcia talks about the still in “a state of adjustment” but fresh of a particularly long video gap – even because of the extraordinary standards of Emery – he learns quickly.
“He is a very detailed coach,” says Garcia. “He really likes to work on the video, where he can see our mistakes, and where he can give us the tools to find the easiest way to overcome the urgent people, and go to the opposition's criminal area.
“He wants to create a super compact team with a very clear structure. He shows us a way of playing and his employees are all united in the idea and work with us individually. He is very competitive with the hunger you need to achieve your goals “
And Garcia's goals? “The coaching staff has already told me that they are with me and work with me every day to help me improve my game. I believe I can achieve a lot and let my game grow. The club has great ambitions and we go Fighting for them.
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