Soccer News Soccer Match Reports, Football News
FC Barcelona have bounced back impressively from last season’s trophyless campaign, with two consecutive victories marking a strong start to the Hansi Flick era.
Triumphing over Athletic Club, the Catalan giants displayed several encouraging signs. In addition to maintaining cohesion on a collective level, several individuals stepped up to the plate.
Among the high achievers was Jules Kounde. The Frenchman is becoming increasingly comfortable as Barcelona’s first-choice right-back, making noticeable progress with each passing week.
Kounde locked up Nico Williams
Faced with the gargantuan challenge of marking Nico Williams, the breakout star of the 2024 UEFA Euro, Kounde delivered an outstanding performance.
Nico Williams found himself largely subdued in his duel with Jules Kounde. Struggling to make an impact, Williams did not complete any of his five crosses and managed merely 12 passes, with no successful long balls.
❗️Nico Williams against Jules Koundé:
– 0/5 crosses
– 12 passes
– 0 long balls
– 50% dribble success
– 0 shots on target
– Lost possession 19 times pic.twitter.com/GFIaMq0Bm0
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 24, 2024
His dribble success rate stood at 50%, and he failed to register a single shot on target. Kounde’s defensive prowess was further exemplified as the Basque winger lost possession 19 times throughout the match.
A masterclass in anticipation
Moreover, the 25-year-old refused to let Nico Williams’ blistering pace become an excuse for being outmaneuvered.
“Kounde’s match was a masterclass on how to defend a player who’s faster than you. Behind the space and close to the wing, he won all the duels. Nico did not go past him once,” Barcelona pundit Alex Delmas affirmed.
Jules Kounde’s heatmap, dominating the right side of the field.
In fact, the defender’s assertive display even drew praise from coach Hansi Flick, who was delighted with Kounde and…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/barcelona-full-back-puts-extraordinary-numbers-against-nico-williams-pundit-reacts/
Author : Shahraiz Sajjad
Publish date : 2024-08-24 22:12:30
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
