Barcelona’s 2024/25 season has been a thrilling ride under Hansi Flick, with the team contending for La Liga, the Champions League, and already securing the Spanish Super Cup.
Their high-intensity, attacking football, bolstered by a robust defense, has seen them lead La Liga on goal difference, with a 12-game unbeaten streak across competitions.
Jules Kounde, the versatile French defender, has been a cornerstone of this success, seamlessly adapting to the right-back role. His athleticism, one-on-one defending (only one successful dribble past him in eight La Liga attempts), and synergy with Lamine Yamal have made him indispensable, logging 3,901 minutes for Barça.
Flick, however, faces a unique challenge: resting Kounde.
In his pre-match presser before Barcelona’s clash against Celta Vigo on April 20, 2025, Flick quipped, “The problem with Jules Koundé? When I want to give him a 30-minute rest, the next day he goes to Sitges to run. So I prefer he does his running on the pitch. He’s in fantastic shape.”
This relentless drive was evident when fans spotted Kounde running in pouring rain in New York after a preseason match, showcasing his extraordinary commitment.
For those wondering, Sitges is a locality in Catalonia where Kounde probably spends a lot of time running.
Kounde’s durability is a blessing and a curse. Flick’s lack of confidence in backup Héctor Fort has kept Kounde on the pitch, but his three benchings for tardiness highlight Flick’s strict discipline.
As Barcelona face a brutal schedule, including Champions League semifinals against Inter, Flick must balance Kounde’s workload to maintain peak performance.
With contract extension talks until 2030 ongoing, Kounde’s future at Barça looks bright. For Flick, managing this “unstoppable” defender’s minutes will be key to sustaining Barcelona’s treble chase in the season’s final stretch.
