Kounde talks Pedri, Inigo, injury, preferred position ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk vs Barcelona

In less than 24 hours, Barcelona return to action in the UEFA Champions League. As the first set of return fixtures arrive on the scene, they travel to Germany to take on Shakhtar Donetsk in their fourth group stage game of the competition.

Heading into the clash, however, there is no dearth of questions about the Catalans. After all, their win against Real Sociedad at the weekend came off the back of a forgettable ninety minutes.

Barcelona defender Jules Kounde faced the press ahead of the team’s clash against Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow and spoke about a plethora of topics including his fitness and the team’s form. He began by giving his two cents about the dressing room and confidence in the team.

“The locker room knows that there are things to improve, but we are good. We want to win because it is a very important game, and give our best version.”

Quite unsurprisingly, the series of questions that followed were around Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Real Sociedad at the weekend.

“We have no doubts. We don’t feel good but we are positive and we have to keep working. There are games in which you don’t play well. We showed that we knew how to suffer and responded to the difficulty,” Kounde said about the lucky win.

On whether winning against Real Sociedad was ‘the luck of the champion’, he said: “I agree that sometimes there are games in a season where you don’t play well and you don’t have the best feelings.”

“It happened last year and maybe it will happen again. The important thing is knowing where we can improve and suffer together like we did last season and in the last game,” he concluded.

Commenting on his competition with Inigo Martinez, who has been making a strong case to be a regular starter in recent weeks, Kounde said,

“I am very happy to have Iñigo and more competition. The important thing is that the team is stronger.”

The Frenchman also spoke about his work ethic to return from injury ahead of schedule and what went into the speedy recovery.

“Sometimes there are deadlines but I felt strong and comfortable to return. It has nothing to do with the high level that those who play with me are showing.”

Barcelona, in general, have struggled against teams with low blocks in recent years. Kounde did not dive deep into the tactical basis but explained the same with the last game as an example.

“It is a very collective topic. La Real made it very difficult for us to get the ball out. We have lost quite a few balls on throw-ins and I think it is a matter of communicating and being mobile. Also intensity,” he added.

Last season, the Frenchman featured primarily as Barcelona’s right-back across all competitions. This season, however, he has been their leader in defence.

“I’m happy because I play in my position. I had a conversation with Xavi at the end of the season because I wanted to play where I can contribute the most but I will never refuse to play at right-back,” he commented on his preferred position.

Kounde went on to highlight the importance of tomorrow’s clash and praised the opposition for their performance in their recent meeting.

“More than highlighting one player, it is a group that plays the ball well if you give it time and don’t pressure it. In the second half, we didn’t do it as much and they were good. It cost us in the end. We will try not to leave them time to play.”

Speaking on Pedri’s return from injury and his importance in the team dynamics, Kounde said,

“I see him happy. It is always difficult to be injured and not be able to compete, which is what he likes. If he has played it is because he is already one hundred per cent.”

Tomorrow’s clash will take place in Hamburg, Germany owing to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Speaking about the sensitive issue that has rattled the world in recent months, the defender commented,

“We know it is a difficult situation. They have made a long journey with the circumstances they have but we are here to compete and play football.”

Finally, the player concluded his press conference by addressing the team’s relative slackness while closing off games which is often seen as a sudden decline in chemistry between players.

“From my point of view, it is more disconnection. We need to be more focused when it comes to defending. We have incorporated new players but we are still a young team. You have to take care of these details,” he remarked.

Source: Mundo Deportivo