The ongoing season has been nothing but a bumpy road for FC Barcelona in many ways. One of those ways has been the sporting side of things, which was not exactly at its glittering best. For a large part of the start of the season, Barcelona barely played like they did last season.
However, a large contributor to this lack of form was highlighted as being Barça’s defense. Uncharacteristic individual errors combined to create a less-than-reliable defensive line, one that was considered record-breaking the previous season. Moreover, even within that structure, Jules Kounde was pointed out as being a major culprit.
The French defender, formerly from Sevilla, was unable to capture his best version. Both at the end of 2023 and at the beginning of 2024, Kounde was far from his best. However, in recent weeks, the Frenchman has regained some essence of his brightest displays. This has given Barcelona a sense of stability again, and has helped the team greatly.
Yet, the reasons behind this sudden improvement in form are related to the efforts Kounde has been willing to put in. As highlighted by SPORT, there have been two factors that have allowed Kounde to resurrect himself. First and foremost among them, has been his sheer commitment.
Even on off days, the Frenchman has trained with the substitutes. This has allowed him to physically improve himself and condition himself better than others. Through the use of this physicality, Kounde has found his strength back and his determination as well.
Furthermore, when training with the team, he often plays as a pivot as well. The purpose behind this is to improve his stability and technique on the ball. In order to be comfortable on the ball at all times, the Barcelona defenders practices often as a makeshift pivot.
Moreover, even though he still believes that playing as a fullback is not to his liking, he continues to serve in that role with more determination. Now adding an attacking essence to his game as well, Kounde is much more capable of adding firepower and numbers on the offense if the coaches need him to.
