Jacquet and Araujo Shine in Pre-Season Debut for Reds

Jeremy Jacquet and Ronaldo Araujo have wasted no time announcing themselves in the Reds’ backline.

Both summer arrivals featured in Sunday’s pre-season win over Como, with Jacquet handed the first audition and Araujo stepping in after the break. Between them, they offered an early glimpse of what this rebuilt defence might look like when the real stuff begins.

Jacquet, starting the game, threw himself straight into it. He won more tackles than anyone else on the pitch – three in total – and shared the lead for most duels won with seven. It was a full-blooded 45 minutes, the sort of half that tells a manager something about a player’s appetite as much as his numbers. By the interval he had emptied the tank and made way for Araujo.

The on-loan Uruguayan picked up the baton and kept the intensity high. On his home debut he came out on top in five of his seven duels and recorded the second-most tackles with two, underlining why the club moved to bring him in for the season. Different profile, same edge.

“It’s a start, a good start so hopefully he can crack on,” came the assessment.

The message was clear: pre-season minutes are only the beginning. The real test lies in how quickly these defenders can knit themselves into a unit.

That understanding will not be built on the training pitch alone. “You build relationships by playing games. I won’t say it’s the only way, but games are totally different than training.” The speed, the chaos, the punishment for a split-second lapse – that is where partnerships are forged.

Communication is still a work in progress. “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.” Footballing instinct is doing some of the talking for now.

The demand, though, is for more than instinct. “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.” The clock is already ticking toward the competitive opener.

Jacquet’s afternoon ended at half-time, but not before he had banked something important: trust. “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, plenty of promise – and a clear challenge laid down for both defenders as they fight to turn pre-season impressions into permanent places.