Koundé in fresh struggle as Zidane ‘turns to’ Kalulu, echoing Flick | OneFootball

Jules Koundé’s push for starts has stalled for both Barcelona and France, with Zinedine Zidane leaning away from him in recent matches, Mundo Deportivo reports.

The 27-year-old joined up with France after coming off the bench in six of Barcelona’s seven La Liga games, his only start arriving against Rayo Vallecano. He was left out entirely against Levante, Racing Santander and Sevilla, having earlier appeared as a substitute at Valencia after Eric García’s injury.

Zidane initially offered encouragement, naming Koundé fourth captain behind Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Adrien Rabiot, then starting him at right-back in the 1-0 win over Türkiye, where he completed the match.

Momentum then shifted, as the France manager turned to Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu at right-back against Belgium and Italy, leaving Koundé unused in both. The next meeting with Belgium now stands as a test of whether Kalulu keeps the shirt or rotation returns.

At Barcelona, Hansi Flick has confirmed García as his preferred right-back and has discussed a move for Koundé back to centre-half, the role in which he excelled in his first season. Flick has also stressed that competition benefits the team and that selection is decided by what best suits the collective.

Koundé therefore faces a two-front battle to reclaim a starting place. Once central for club and country, he is contending with serious rivals and the fight appears far from over.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”