The right-back remains in the running | OneFootball

Areso’s mistakes are preventing him from settling, an opportunity Johaneko is taking advantage of as he moves ahead of Hugo Rincón

In the 7 official matches that EdinTerzic has managed Athletic, the position with the most doubts and the fewest certainties is undoubtedly right-back. In recent years it had been a set position until Óscar de Marcos retired, a spot for which the sporting department brought in Andoni Gorosabel. The former Alavés and Real Sociedad player hit the ground running, with Valverde placing him ahead of marquee signing Jesús Areso in the rotation.

The arrival of Edin Terzic, a coach who likes attack-minded wing-backs, led to the starter among the two being ruled out. Gorosabel’s departure opened the door for Areso, a full-back who, in that wing-back role, seemed on paper to fit like a glove, but the start was not encouraging. In the first match against Sevilla, a mistake by the “12” led to the first goal for the Andalusian side, which only raised even more doubts about a player who already had a difficult first season.

His poor game and the rotation led Terzic to give Hugo Rincón a chance against Barcelona, where he turned in a solid match in line with the rest of the team, which lost 2-0. The full-back, who returned to Lezama from his loan spell at Girona, had put in good performances in preseason, but right now he is last in the pecking order.

During the positive run for the Ibaigane side, against Celta, Atlético and Elche, it was once again Areso who started, but once more, at the worst possible moment for a mistake, the Cascante full-back was in the spotlight after bringing down Germán Valera, conceding a penalty that allowed the team from Elche to leave San Mamés with a point.

With Areso once again under scrutiny, Terzic turned to his utility option, a player who can cover both full-back positions, academy product Johaneko. The Frenchman is earning credit to be considered more and more, thanks to the depth he provides and his adaptation to the left flank, where he is also serving as cover for Yuri. Terzic had already intended to start him against Levante, something we did not get to see because of the postponement, and on Saturday against Alavés, he finally got the nod from the start.

The Frenchman lasted only 45 minutes, as he stayed in the dressing room at halftime and Areso came on in his place. The theoretical first-choice player came on to pin the opposition back and create danger down his flank, but his performance was in line with the team’s overall display: imprecise, too eager to create, and impatient in the final phase of moves.

Now the team will rest from Thursday to Sunday in the first week of this break, a period that Terzic will use to fine-tune tactical aspects and begin to solve a problem that already seems like an enigma. Areso will remain the starter, but he cannot afford any more mistakes because Johaneko has Terzic’s trust and Rincón

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.