23 - Jules Kounde

[JamDav1982]

It's not like we're begging them to sign one of the best fullbacks in the game.

Most teams would sign him, but I bet Kounde won't even look at them, regardless if they have the transfer money. You don't move from Flick Barcelona to some EPL side. Nobody is this stupid.

Sure, likes of Arsenal, City, Liverpool, they probably wouldn't be interested. The rest are too big of a step back for the player to comtemplate a move most likely.

Indeed no one is being asked to sign one of the best full backs in the game with Kounde.

Keep saying 'most teams' when name 2 that wouldnt currently.

If anything City are the ones that need a RB but think they would rather others before Kounde.

 

[JamDav1982]

Livramento might be going to City himself.

City is another interesting option, and I've seen many of their fans liking him but thought he won't be available.

Bayern too lacks a clear player there.

Kounde has a market, he is a good starter in a good Barca side 4 consecutive seasons, and still in his prime. All while playing in a position that isn't deep at all.

Someone will always talk himself into it if he becomes available. The later part is highly unlikely.

Couldnt see likes of Bayern being interested or City.

They would go for others even if weakness at RB in my opinion.

Not for 70m anyway.

 

[serghei]

Most likely, Kounde steps it up again. Have some patience, he will get back in form. It's how he is, loses his focus vs smaller sides, but in bigger games he is on point. People forget we operate with a super risky defensive system and the guy often defends 1 vs 2. Being RB at Barcelona under Flick is most stressful fullback position in world football.

I am not happy with him either, but he is one of the players that can step up in big occasions. Has done it before.

The only reason we may think about selling someone like Kounde is because we lack the funds to improve the team at CB without a big sale. And Kounde is the easiest player to replace from the ones who can fetch a big transfer fee.

 

[JamDav1982]

Being fairly poor 1v1 doesnt help.

Gets skinned or leaves far too much space for balls in far too often.

The time to sell him was last summer and not giving him a new contract will be more difficult now as he has more reasons to stay and whatever marker there was will have decreased.

He isnt some kind of monster in big games he is poor in plenty of them and rarely can ever remember him being outstanding in them either.

To point Xavi used to move him away from RB a lot in big games as he couldnt cope.

If Barca had better CBs Garcia would be starting ahead of him this season more often than not.

 

[Porque]

Nobody would be paying 60m for Kounde at RB.

The only hope would be he wanted to return to CB, kicked up a fuss, and then you have a team with a manager that thinks he could bring out the best of him there. Be it PSG, that WestWorld guy at Chelsea or Company at Bayern.

 

[serghei]

Kounde is solid enough 1 vs 1, he ain't getting skinned. He should do more in offense. He is a smart player, but when he appears in surprising positions like vs Madrid or vs Sociedad, he should score those. Like vs Frankfurt. Not hit the post or make a bad touch.

He can give much more offensively but fucks it up too often. He is inconsistent player. If you'd get the best of him more often... nobody would even contemplate selling him. But he just isn't properly focused all the time. Maybe with proper competition he will get more consistent.

He is upgradeable but not for cheap and not that easily done.

Him being bad 1 vs 1 is a myth. He's good enough that Barcola had to switch sides after 40 mins as he wasn't getting past him in the PSG match.

 

[JamDav1982]

He gets skinned a lot by players that can dribble and he knows it and often backs off too much also.

Its not all his fault as isnt a RB but playing there.

His two biggest weakenesses are 1v1 and decides what to do with ball after controlled it after any real pressure and makes too many mistakes.

 

[serghei]

Doesn't get skinned at all. I will look for some data here. Looks to be our strongest defender in winning duels to me. I agree technically he is hit and miss. He will play a great pass this moment, and fuck up an easy one in the next. That I don't like about him. We have too many players that are not consistently good passers. Only Pedri, and De Jong are players that I trust to not make bad passes in bad positions. The rest not so much. Hit and miss far too much. I will keep Yamal out of it as he is a special player so his errors are somewhat expected with how decisive he is on the ball.

Kounde, Balde, Olmo, Cubarsi, Fermin, they should make fewer passing errors than they do. It is somewhat of a common worrysome template for this team. Hence why we can't seem to control games.

 

[JamDav1982]

Cubarsi and Eric are a different quality to Kounde on ball and what bring with it.

They are two of the best defenders in the world on the ball.

Kounde is closer to Araujo level on ball than those two.

 

[MonteCuler]

Him being bad 1 vs 1 is a myth. He's good enough that Barcola had to switch sides after 40 mins as he wasn't getting past him in the PSG match.

Same PSG match he was destroyed by the random psg kid who has done nothing ever since ?

And overall been shit lol gave zero support to Yamal in attack so he had to go on crazy solo runs and have dumb idiots force the narrative that Nuno "locked him up"

That game is actually a good example of how shit he can be

 

[RedxMAK]

Honestly, he hasn’t been the same since the injury after the Copa del Rey final. Look I still see he’s acting stupid but I genuinely hope he locks in now that we are entering the business part of the season