Jules Kounde arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2022 as an excellent central defender, but he is now firmly a right-back – and he is arguably better in that position than the one that he calls his own. The 26-year-old has been a revelation for the Catalans in that area of the pitch, which had caused a lot of problems prior to his arrival.
Given that he is naturally a centre-back, Kounde could be forgiven for a lack of attacking contribution whilst playing on the right, but in fact, this is an area that he thrives in. This season, he has scored three goals, while he has also registered eight assists across all competitions.
Kounde, who is set to sign a new long-term contract at the Catalan side, has credited a fair portion of this success to the player that plays directly in front of him on Barcelona’s right hand side: Lamine Yamal. As per MD, he opened up on his on-field relationship with the 17-year-old sensation, and how they work together to get the best out of each other defensively and offensively.
“I talked to find out how I can improve certain aspects, such as the runs that can open up spaces for him, even though he knows how to deal with two guys on top of him. We are quite complementary. On the defensive field, I talk to him a lot to correct certain details about his positioning.
“We understand each other very well on and off the field. People often forget that, although we see him do exceptional things, he is a kid, a teenager, who loves to play jokes, and that’s fine, because so do I.”
Kounde will be eyeing up further attacking success in the remaining weeks of the season, during which he will also be aiming to help Barcelona take home the La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey titles.
