On paper, everyone will say that Jules Koundé has nothing to complain about. For his first season at FC Barcelona, the French international is essential in the eyes of Xavi Hernandez and almost never leaves the starting eleven. The former Bordeaux notably played 24 La Liga games – he was injured in the first part of the season – delivering 3 assists along the way. But his situation does not seem to suit him completely.
As the daily explains Sport, the 24-year-old is frustrated. And for good reason, he does not like to play as a right side. And it is almost always in this position that Xavi aligns him. He does not feel comfortable in this register, where he considers that he cannot use all his qualities and does not have all the automatisms or the reflexes to be at the best possible level.
The doors are closed in the axis
Even from a collective point of view, he feels that it is not the best scenario for the team to have a non-specialist player in this position. A dissatisfaction from which he does not hide, since he has more or less made it known publicly, just as he has already told Xavi in private. This information will therefore not surprise the management of the club, which remains quite satisfied with the performances of the Frenchman, solid defensively and who is starting to bring a lot in attack.
Will we see Koundé in the axis soon? It’s unlikely. The media explain that Barca did not expect to see Andreas Christensen at this level, and the latter was initially supposed to occupy a secondary role in the team. But following his excellent performances in the central hinge, well accompanied by Ronald Araujo, the central defense duo should not move. Koundé will therefore have to take his troubles patiently…
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