Jules Kounde admits there is room for improvement in his displays at right-back

Barcelona signed Jules Kounde from Sevilla in the summer transfer window to reinforce their centre-back department. The Frenchman had been one of the best-performing central defenders in La Liga in the past couple of seasons, prompting the Blaugrana to invest in him.

However, since his arrival, manager Xavi Hernandez has often utilised the 23-year-old as a makeshift right-back. Kounde has previously admitted that he prefers to play centrally, but circumstances have forced him to play on the right side on a few occasions.

And the situation is repeating itself with the French national team at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Following Benjamin Pavard’s unconvincing display in Les Bleus first match, Didier Deschamps turned to Kounde as his solution at right-back.

And for someone who has admitted that he does not enjoy playing in the position, the Barcelona ace has been doing very well as a right-sided full-back.

Indeed, Kounde was one of France’s better performers in the recent quarter-final win against England. But ahead of the semi-finals versus Morocco, the young defender insisted that there is a lot of improvement for him in the right-back position.

“It’s a position I’m getting used to, there’s a huge margin for progression. But every day I feel better,” Kounde said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

Talking about the display against England in particular, he added: “We defended better, we closed the passing lanes, that made my job easier. We have analyzed the video to see what to improve. We knew that their left side was the most dangerous, I think we played a great team game.”

Kounde’s performances have meant that Xavi could again bank on him to pull duty at right-back in the second half of the season, especially if Barcelona are unable to reinforce the position with a new player in the January transfer window.

For now, though, the Frenchman will be focusing on the upcoming challenge against Morocco later this week.