Jules Kounde is one player who has greatly benefited from the increased squad depth.
Barca in Good Position
When compared to last season, FC Barcelona has a compelling argument to support their superior quality. Barcelona no longer needs to ask its players to perform outside of their natural positions. They have experts in practically every position.
Since joining Barcelona in the summer of last year, Jules Kounde has maybe been in his greatest shape.
Preffered Setting
Jules Kounde, who was previously used as a right-back in the 2022–23 season, has seen Xavi Hernandez maintain his promise to predominantly use him as a central defender after Barcelona signs a suitable right-back. The addition of Joao Cancelo this season has been beneficial in and of itself, but it has also allowed Kounde to play the role he enjoys and made him much more effective.
Jules Kounde Unbreakable in one-on-one Situations
No player has dribbled past Jules Kounde this season, according to statistics. None of the teams he has played, including Getafe, Villarreal, Cadiz, Osasuna, Real Betis, Celta Vigo, Mallorca, and most recently Sevilla, have been able to dribble past the French Barcelona defender.
One of Xavi’s most reliable
Kounde has also started eight of the nine games that Barcelona has played thus far in their official season. With 732 minutes played, he has been the third most-used player under the Catalan manager. He is behind only Ter Stegen (810 minutes) and Robert Lewandowski (752 minutes). Xavi wanted to rest him against Mallorca.
Jules Kounde is the player in La Liga with the most total passes (654). It further demonstrates his creative and progressive contributions to Barcelona outside of only his defensive interventions. Even more impressively, Kounde has achieved an average of 4.6 recoveries, 3.4 clearances, and 5.1 duels won.
Jules Kounde is presently a sure starter and arguably the most dependable defender in this Barcelona team. The Frenchman and the Uruguayan may team up to form the finest central defensive partnership Barca possesses once Ronald Araujo is fully recovered.
