Barcelona’s recent form has led to plenty of scrutiny and debate about what’s going wrong for Hansi Flick’s side in the 2025-26 season.
What’s clear is that several players are yet to rediscover their best form, including Jules Kounde at right-back.
The Frenchman simply didn’t stop playing last season as Barca won three titles. Kounde ended the season with eight assists and four goals to his name, including a brilliant winner in the Copa del Rey final.
He had the chance to score against Real Madrid
again on Sunday after making a run into the box but fumbled his first touch and the chance went begging.
And it’s not the first time Kounde has looked far from assured this season. He signed a new five-year contract in the summer but has gone on to make an underwhelming start to the new campaign.
Some Barcelona fans have been quick to highlight his mistakes on social media.
And others have spent their time trying to find as many pictures as possible of Kounde looking miserable. Unfortunately, it’s not been that difficult
It’s no secret that the Frenchman has been affected by physical issues, indeed he was a doubt for El Clasico, while Hansi Flick has also preferred Eric Garcia at times in the right-back slot.
Kounde has also been happy to voice his concerns at Barca. He spoke out after the win over Real Sociedad and was critical of his team’s performance in the final stages.
“I didn’t like our last 25 minutes. We struggled too much and didn’t have control of the ball. The previous 70 minutes were pretty good, and we had chances to score more than two goals. I didn’t like the end of the game,” he said.
“We lacked intensity, defensiveness, and closing down the inside pass, which already killed us on the goal. In the last 25 minutes, they found that inside pass very easy for us. We made the game difficult for ourselves.”
The feeling is certainly that Kounde wasn’t fully fit for Clasico and perhaps his record-breaking run of games is finally starting to take its toll.
His form will certainly give Hansi Flick plenty to think about, particularly as Eric is a big favourite of the German’s, and it’s perhaps no surprise to see young Xavi Espart becoming a regular feature in first-team training sessions right now.
