Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has been keen to install a Germanic discipline into his side since arriving, and that starts with punctuality. He has made it perfectly clear that those who do not arrive on time will face punishment.
Under previous manager Xavi Hernandez, that was also the case, but under the Catalan, the punishment was a financial one, with players receiving fines. One of the key changes that has been made by Flick is that players are benched if they are late to team meetings instead.
It is a punishment that has befallen Inaki Pena, leading to him being dropped for the Spanish Supercup semi-final in Saudi Arabia, and handing an opportunity to Wojciech Szczesny. He would end up making the number one spot his own. No player has been guilty of the offence more than Jules Kounde, and it was again a surprise when Hector Fort featured in the starting XI on Monday night against Rayo Vallecano.
Official: The XI! @FCBarcelona
🗣️ Your thoughts on Héctor Fort starting? pic.twitter.com/bAXDbb5GH0
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 17, 2025
Cadena Cope report that Kounde was scheduled to start, and instead it was Hector Fort, with the Frenchman benched for a third time due to his poor timekeeping. “Kounde is a substitute due to a technical decision,” Flick told Movistar+ before the game, as quoted by MD, but it has been widely reported that a rare start for Fort came courtesy of Kounde being late.
Previously Kounde has been dropped in games against Alaves at Mendizorrotza, and at home to Espanyol, leading to all three of Fort’s starts in La Liga this season under Flick. The 18-year-old full-back had a promising start to life in the senior side under Xavi, playing on both the right and left flanks, but has seen his involvement decrease significantly under Flick. The German has almost exclusively opted for Kounde at right-back this season, with Fort one of his few alternatives.
