Terzic: “We’re at the beginning of the road” at Athletic

Edin Terzic marks three months in charge of Athletic and, ahead of the home game against Alavés at San Mamés, he frames it as a work in progress. “Son los primeros tres meses, no son los últimos. Esto es el principio,” he said, according to Mundo Deportivo. The German argues that the demanding start meant having to plan preseason without knowing “cuándo iba a comenzar la Liga” or when international players would return. Still, he believes the preparation went well: “la pretemporada ha sido buena” and “hemos logrado los objetivos.”

Three months, still under pressure

Terzic also recognises that results haven’t been perfect from the outset, pointing to defeats against Sevilla and Barça. Even so, he stresses that the important thing is the direction they’re taking: “Estamos al principio del camino” and improving both performances and results will build confidence. He adds a note of self-criticism about those early stretches: “Quizá merecimos algo más sobre en los primeros tiempos contra Sevilla y Elche,” while making clear that the past can’t be changed.

Facing Alavés

He will experience his first derby as Athletic coach and speaks about the emotional weight, but insists the fundamentals remain: “las porterías, el balón y las distancias son las mismas.” His message is straightforward: focus on their own game and on the outcome—“Es ganar o perder.”

The coach also addresses last Wednesday’s match vs Levante, which was postponed and will now be played on 21 October. Terzic says the trip and training were different, but that it didn’t create problems. He confirms he made five changes before the game was suspended—Johaneko for Areso, Paredes for Yeray, Jauregizar for Gere, Berenguer for Nico Williams and Maroan for Iñaki Williams—and defends the move as a way to adapt to the situation while trusting the full squad.