Koundé, from attracting attention for his ‘look’ to stopping Mbappé | Soccer | Sports

At Barcelona there was no list with the 10 best defensive actions of Jules Koundé (Paris, 25 years old); Of course, there was no other one with his 10 best goals (total three). Yes, on the other hand, the Frenchman’s most striking looks were listed: from wearing a hat with Batman ears to walking through the mixed zone in shorts and a tie. It is not unusual to see him shopping in Rome during a national team break, nor is it surprising that he has teamed up with designer Goba Noel to create the clothing brand Homies From Paris (HFP). About Koundé one could talk about styling and hairstyles, about tantrums in front of Xavi Hernández and about his place in the locker room. But not much about football. Until Barcelona met PSG in Paris in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. That is, until Koundé faced Kylian Mbappé. Nothing more and nothing less.

“You have many questions about Mbappé,” Koundé responded, while trying to hide with a smile how his expression twisted when the questions about the PSG star were repeated. “I would prefer to talk about ourselves,” he complained in the preview, last week at the Parc des Princes. He was right. And to counteract, he spoke on the field: the forward called to inherit Lionel Messi’s throne closed the first leg with three shots: one out, two blocked; none at the door. Furthermore, he lost 13 balls and was only successful in 20% of his dribbles. His kryptonite: Koundé. “He is a differential player who I know well because we share the national team. He makes the difference and we are going to try to stop him,” anticipated the Barcelona defender.

“I am very delighted with Jules’ performance. He would tell you that he is almost a personal signing of mine. I know what he is capable of. For me he is one of the best in the world, he likes to defend, he pays attention to surveillance, he is a leader. He has many virtues. “Many,” praised Xavi Hernández, after the match against Luis Enrique’s team.

Xavi is not deceiving. In the summer of 2022, when Barcelona went on the market with everything thanks to the sale of assets (levers, according to president Joan Laporta), the Barça coach insisted that he wanted Koundé. And so that the defender did not fall into the temptation of the Premier League, the Barça coach telephoned the then Sevilla player again and again. “They were very precise conversations. It was obvious that he had watched my games,” Koundé recalled, in an interview with EL PAÍS. However, the same thing happened to the Frenchman at Barça as with his national team: Xavi pushed him to the side. And he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. “The coach knows it. At Sevilla he always played as a center back,” he added in the same conversation. Koundé’s protest upset both the team – “what is he complaining about if he always plays?” warned a teammate – and also the sports management: “If he doesn’t like it, bring an offer of 50 million and we will tell him “Thank you for everything,” explained sources from the technical secretariat.

The following summer, Xavi had a new conversation, this time face to face, in which he tried to calm Koundé down. “The idea is to play with three centre-backs. The idea is that you are the right one.” The phrase was used as a placebo for the player: Barça already used the 3-4-3. However, Xavi also told the sports management that he needed to sign a full-back. His favorite was Foyth, from Villarreal, who was more defensive than offensive, the opposite profile to what ended up in Can Barça, Cancelo. It happened, then, that Koundé began to play more as a center back and Araujo as a winger. Something bothered the Uruguayan – he also complained publicly -, the rest of the squad, and affected the team’s defensive performance. Barcelona was a hole: in the first 32 games he conceded 46 goals, the same as he had conceded in 53 games the previous campaign.

Xavi recalculated. There is no better formula than going back to the past: Koundé as a full-back and Araujo as a center back. They were joined by Cubarsí, as the Uruguayan’s axis partner, and Cancelo to provide depth. “I think we have found solidity in defense. We work together in defense, as a block and this helps us win games. Thanks to this we are also a more efficient Barça,” Koundé stressed. He attracted attention and it was not his style. And if not, ask Mbappé, he will seek revenge against him in Montjïuc.

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