Substitute for the match of the 9th day of La Liga against Alavés on Sunday evening (3-0 victory for Barça), the French right-back Jules Koundé, still starting since the start of the season, was sanctioned by his coach, Hansi Flick for a delay during a pre-match meeting, reports the Catalan daily Sport.
He hadn’t missed a single second of play… until Sunday. At Barça, Jules Koundé is an indisputable starter in the mind of his coach Hansi Flick. The German started the French full-back in FC Barcelona’s first ten official matches this season. The ex-Bordelais even played in all the matches without ever being replaced.
But on Sunday, Jules Koundé only played 23 minutes on the Alavés pitch. The 25-year-old Frenchman was a substitute for the match on the 9th day of La Liga won 3-0 by Barça thanks to a hat-trick from Robert Lewandowski. Flick preferred Hector Fort. Jules Koundé only came into play after the hour mark (67th).
Flick would have decided to crack down
Did Hansi Flick want to make his defender breathe before the international break? The answer is no for the Catalan media Sport which reports that the decision not to start Koundé is a disciplinary sanction. The ex-Bordelais would have been punished for arriving late to the pre-match meeting.
The Barcelona coach had already warned his group on several occasions about the lack of discipline and punctuality problems. If he had let a few delays pass, he decided to crack down and would therefore have sanctioned Jules Koundé on Sunday, depriving him of an eleventh start in as many matches with FC Barcelona. Jules Koundé is expected this Monday at Clairefontaine for the Blues rally before the Nations League matches against Israel, October 10, and Belgium, October 14.
