#jules-kounde

#jules-kounde

The first half of the 2025/26 season has produced a recurring image in every FC Barcelona fan's mind: Lamine Yamal receiving the ball wide on the right touchline, with two, sometimes three, opposition shirts swarming onto him from all directions and closing the space around him. Rivals have started to believe the danger on the right flank lies there, and only there, for Hansi Flick's team.

Barcelona have received encouraging news regarding Jules Kounde after concerns were raised during the recent La Liga encounter against Villarreal. According to an update from AS, the club's medical staff have ruled out any serious injury, easing fears of a lengthy absence for one of Hansi Flick's most trusted defenders. The concern first emerged during the match at the Estadio de la Ceramica, when Kounde suddenly went down clutching the back of his right leg.

Jules Kounde has been making a habit of responding to speculation on social media and has offered a fresh update on Sunday night after going off injured against Villarreal.

The 26-year-old Barcelona defender, along with Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga, did not work with the other 22 members of the squad called up by Deschamps. Instead, after signing autographs for the many supporters who attended the open session, Kounde and Camavinga left their teammates to complete individual running exercises with France's fitness coach, Cyril Moine. For now, the participation of the Barcelona defender and the Real Madrid midfielder in Thursday's match at the Parc des Princes does not appear to be in doubt.

As such, he has played nine consecutive matches, completing the full 90 minutes in eight of them, and did not take part in group training on Friday. The accumulation of minutes is beginning to take its toll, and Flick may decide it's finally time to give the 25-year-old a breather. Another factor behind Kounde's recent dip in sharpness is Lamine Yamal's fitness issues.

There is no hiding from the truth that Barcelona's defence has been one of the team's biggest concerns this season, and while much of the attention has centred around the departure of Inigo Martinez, not enough has been said about the worrying decline in form of Jules Kounde. Once a defensive rock under Hansi Flick, the Frenchman now looks a shadow of the player who was once seen as indispensable in Barça's backline.

I haven't seen the goal again, but I have the feeling I can do a lot better. We get pierced a bit easily, and then I have a bad reflex to go up, to take that step forward when I should have simply stepped back. Let's say that's a bit like how we defend at club level, and unfortunately, it's a bad reflex that costs dearly because we concede a goal, even though the action goes forward, but the result is that I could have done better on that goal.