One of the most conspicuous differences that an observer might note between this and the last season for FC Barcelona will be that of defensive solidity. Last season, the Catalans won the league title mainly on the back of their defensive astuteness, but this season, Xavi’s team has conceded way more goals than they did last season.
The departure of Sergio Busquets can be a clear factor leading to this defensive decline, but in addition to this key change in the midfield, the form of some of the defenders has also left a lot to be desired.
This is particularly true for Jules Kounde, who had an excellent first season at Barcelona, but was far from his best for most parts of this season.
However, as Mundo Deportivo has noted, the Frenchman has started to recover his form in the last few weeks, and is once again shining in the right-back position, both in defense and offense.
This recovered form was particularly on display as Barcelona took on Las Palmas in their last league match. Kounde was one of the more notable players as he got on the ball 122 times, the most in this match, 11 times more than Inigo Martinez and 19 times more than Pau Cubarsi.
Similarly, his other defensive and offensive statistics were also stellar. He recovered the highest number of balls in this match (9), created the highest number of chances (3), and completed the most passes in the final third of the pitch (33).
With such performances, Kounde is the clear starter at the right wing for Barcelona, as Cancelo keeps playing on the left in Alejandro Balde’s absence.
Kounde will thus be tasked to mark his compatriot Kylian Mbappe as the Catalans take on PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next Wednesday in Parc des Princes.
