However, those concerns are no longer relevant thanks to Jules Kounde, who has assumed that role for the last three seasons in La Liga.
Koundé was signed by Xavi Hernandez as a central defender, but due to a lack of options at right-back, he was tasked with playing in that position during the 2022-23 season. He has done so successfully within a very solid Barcelona defence that has conceded few goals in La Liga.
Koundé in great shape
Despite this, Kounde has expressed his desire to return to a central role, although apart from a few games at the start of last season, he has never done so. Under Hansi Flick, he continues to play at right-back, and he has excelled at it. The France international now considers himself a natural in the position, as he told the media on Tuesday (via MD).
“I think there was also a misunderstanding from outsiders about what the coach could ask of me and also from the player that I was. I’m not a right-back by training. Sometimes you can put up barriers. It’s no secret, it’s a position that took me a while to get used to, but I was always confident that with work I would get there. It wasn’t a natural position for me and, even though I worked hard, it was something that was going to take time.” The Frenchman has been in fantastic form for club and country over the last 12 months in particular.
