Reds Defence Shows Promise in Pre-Season Debut

The new-look Reds backline took its first real steps together on Sunday – and wasted little time making an impression.

Summer arrivals Jeremy Jacquet and Ronaldo Araujo, the latter brought in on loan, both featured in the pre-season win over Como, offering an early glimpse of what the reshaped defence might look like once the real stuff starts.

Jacquet started and set the tone. Strong in the challenge, sharp across the ground, he finished the first half with more tackles than anyone else on the pitch (three) and joint-most duels contested (seven). For a player feeling his way back after a long spell without minutes, it was an assertive return, not a cautious one.

By the break, his work was done. Araujo stepped in and picked up the baton.

The Uruguayan’s home debut carried the same edge. He won five of his seven duels and recorded the second-most tackles in the match (two), reading danger early and defending on the front foot. Different profile, same message: this defence intends to compete.

“It’s a start, a good start so hopefully he can crack on,” came the assessment. The message around both centre-backs was clear – the real test now is repetition, not reputation. Training helps, but the real chemistry only comes when the whistle blows and the tempo lifts.

“[You build relationships] by playing games. I won’t say it’s the only way, but games are totally different than training,” the explanation ran. The language barrier is there, but not exactly towering. “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.”

That “smell” – the instinct to step up, to drop, to cover a partner without needing a shout – is what this pre-season is about. The coaching staff know it cannot be rushed, only nudged along.

“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.”

Jacquet, in particular, looked like a player squeezing every drop out of his first 45 minutes back. The fatigue was obvious, and entirely expected.

“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 the first pieces of a new defensive puzzle on show. The real question now is how quickly those pieces start to lock together when pre-season gives way to pressure.