The strength of the veterans at Athletic

Veteran players over 30 dominate Athletic's minutes under Terzic; four of the six most-used outfield players exceed 30 years old.

Athletic manager Terzic has introduced fresh faces including Gerenabarrena, Canales, Hugo Rincón and Johaneko in his opening months, but the club's experienced players remain central to the team's identity. After eleven matches under the German coach—ten league games and one Copa del Rey tie—the data shows the weight of the squad rests on older shoulders: four of the six outfield players with the most minutes are over 30.

Unai Simón leads the minutes chart at 29 years old with 900 minutes, the only player to feature in every league game. Aymeric Laporte (32, 735 minutes) and Iñaki Williams (32, 675 minutes) complete the top three. Robert Navarro provides youth in fourth place at 24 with 657 minutes, followed by Óscar de Marcos Berenguer (31, 640 minutes) and Yuri (36, 636 minutes)—only these six have surpassed 600 minutes.

Laporte has been a model of consistency and leadership from defence despite a shorter preseason after the World Cup, missing only the Getafe fixture due to suspension. Williams, the captain, has been available for every match and recently scored in consecutive games, with injuries to attacking players limiting Terzic's rotation options. Berenguer, Athletic's top scorer with four goals, is rediscovering his best form, while 36-year-old Yuri follows a specific training plan to maintain fitness.