After the two very demanding games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Hansi Flick was expected to rest some of his regular starters in last night’s game against RCD Espanyol. However, there was only one notable change in the Barcelona starting eleven for this game.
This change was the absence of Jules Kounde from the starting line-up, as the French defender was replaced with the youngster, Hector Fort. The fullback played 78 minutes in this game and put in an encouraging performance.
Speaking to the press after the game, Flick did not give away much when he was asked about his decision to sit Jules Kounde out for this match. However, as SPORT has reported, he was much more revealing when asked about Hector Fort’s evolution, as he commented:
“He’s doing well. He’s 18 years old, and we need to be aware of that, but he’s on the right path. He has a lot of self-confidence, and he’s performing well both with the ball and in possession… He knows the areas he needs to improve. We train him on these, and we will continue to focus on them.”
Although Xavi used him frequently last season, Fort has seen his importance in the team decline since Flick’s arrival.
This season, he has only played 18% of the total minutes he was available for, as he played 78 minutes against Espanyol, 67 against Alaves, 29 against Girona, 9 against Villarreal, 2 against Getafe, and 5 against Osasuna. In the UCL, he played 26 minutes against Young Boys.
This season, the Barcelona coach is using him more as a substitute for Kounde, even though he played more as a left-back in the last season.
He is now expected to get more minutes as the schedule gets tighter for Barcelona, and hopefully, he will take full advantage of these opportunities to continue growing and showcasing his talent.
