Examines a surprising dip in form for Jules Koundé, a key right-back for FC Barcelona who has shown some defensive frailties in recent fixtures.
Koundé remains one of the squad's most-used players: he is second in minutes this season with 2,635, behind only Eric Garcia, who has 2,780. The Frenchman has featured in virtually every official match for Barcelona, resting only in the league game against Celta.
Consistency is one of his main strengths, but in recent matches his defensive solidity has dipped. The encounter with Mallorca stands out — the article describes it as a nightmare for Koundé, with Jan Virgili frequently getting the better of him.
The downturn can be attributed to the heavy workload: accumulated minutes and the psychological strain of playing in his position. Full-backs naturally tire, and Koundé's role is even more demanding because he must support Lamine Yamal, whether to dispossess opponents or to combine in tight situations, effectively doubling his effort.
Mistakes have also appeared in other matches: he looked uncertain against Elche, and in the tie with Copenhagen a poor pass from him led to a Danish goal that forced a comeback.
Hansi Flick has started to look for ways to rest him. In the game against Oviedo the coach left Koundé on the bench so he could catch his breath; Gerard Marín came on in that match and Eric Garcia moved back to the centre. A similar situation occurred in the Copa del Rey tie with Albacete, where João Cancelo started at right-back but was withdrawn at half-time to avoid the risk of a sending-off; Eric Garcia replaced him temporarily before Koundé and Araújo entered later and Eric returned to the centre.
So far Cancelo has not proven to be a reliable cover for Koundé, and Barcelona lack an obvious backup in that position: Sergi Roberto is not available for that role, and post‑Dani Alves signings like Douglas or Aleix Vidal did not work out. Even a later return of Alves did not produce stellar results.
Koundé himself demands a lot from himself and repeatedly says he wants to improve. Flick has explained more than once that he has had to curb the player in training when Koundé pushed too hard, even preventing him from extra sessions with the substitutes after matches to avoid overloading him.
Despite occasional lapses, Flick will continue to back him: the coach values Koundé's understanding with Lamine Yamal and remembers his contribution last season, when he scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. The staff view the current problems as a minor dip and expect to see the best of Koundé in the decisive stages of the season.
