Could a fresh face spark Athletic’s midfield? Alejandro Rego earned his first official minutes under Edin Terzic on Saturday as Athletic faced Valencia at Mestalla. The Bilbao midfielder entered for Galarreta around the 60th minute, linking up with Jauregizar—who had just replaced Gerenabarrena—to form the double pivot until the final whistle.
Terzic has mostly relied on the Galarreta‑Gere duo for league outings. Occasionally, Jauregizar and the versatile forwards Canales and Sancet have filled the pivot role in specific moments. Rego, however, remained unused until the Valencia trip.
When the clock wound down, Rego finally stepped onto the pitch under Terzic’s guidance. Despite Robert Navarro’s physical woes limiting his run, the Lions held the midfield in the opponent’s half. In my view, Rego supplied the consistency the team needed in those closing stages.
Athletic also benefited from Hugo Rincón’s positional shift after Areso replaced Johaneko, allowing the Navarrese full‑back to curb Otorbi’s threat. Canales, who had a quiet first half, provided solutions when Navarro dropped deeper as a traditional target man. Meanwhile, Maroan used the space to show his comfort running at liberty.
Now the question is whether Terzic will grant Rego more minutes. Yellow cards shown to Gere and later to Galarreta likely prompted the coach to rotate them and avoid a second booking and possible dismissal. Jauregizar again proved his worth, though he is still far from matching the form he displayed over the past two seasons.
The only midfielder still waiting for a debut under the new boss is Beñat Prados. The Navarrese youngster is the last first‑team player yet to appear in this league campaign, even after recovering from a serious knee injury. Will Terzic finally trust him with game time soon?