Jacquet and Araujo Shine in Pre-Season Debut for Reds

Jeremy Jacquet and Ronaldo Araujo did not waste their first audition in red.

Both summer recruits were thrown into the Reds’ backline in Sunday’s pre-season win over Como, Araujo arriving on loan and Jacquet handed the first 45 minutes before the pair swapped at the interval. Between them, they offered an early glimpse of a rebuilt defence that might just have some bite.

Jacquet, starting the game, set the tone. He finished the half with more tackles than anyone else on the pitch – three in total – and contested everything, coming out on top in seven duels, the joint-highest figure in the match. It was an aggressive, front-foot display from a defender still feeling his way into a new environment.

By the break, though, the legs had started to feel it.

The coaching staff recognised it and turned to Araujo, who stepped in for the second period and immediately looked at home on his new patch. The Uruguayan won five of his seven duels and registered the second-most tackles in the side with two, underlining his appetite for the physical side of the game on his home debut.

“It’s a start, a good start so hopefully he can crack on,” came the assessment. The message was clear: pre-season or not, these minutes matter. “You build relationships by playing games. I won’t say it’s the only way, but games are totally different than training.”

Communication is still a work in progress. Jacquet currently holds the edge linguistically.

“Jeremy’s English is, I would say, a bit better than Ronald’s but at the end of the day we are all pretty good footballers. We can see and smell some moments on how to defend certain situations.”

Instinct can carry them only so far, though. The real test lies in how quickly this new-look defence can gel under pressure.

“It’s pretty clear that you need to form a connection together and that takes a bit of time. In my opinion that’s absolutely normal but hopefully we can get that going as quickly as possible.”

For Jacquet, the first step is in the bank: a solid 45 minutes, numbers to back it up, and a reminder of what match tempo really feels like after a long spell without competitive action.

“Like I said, I think [Jacquet] did well. I think he came out of it a bit tired, but it’s absolutely normal when you’re playing your first 45 minutes after such a long time. Now it’s down to him to recover.”

One game, two debuts, and a hint of a partnership still to be written.