The sporting fortunes of France's Jules Koundé have taken an unprecedented turn since the Barcelona star arrived at the Spotify Camp Nou.
According to Sport, Koundé has begun this season on the fringes. It marks quite a fall for a player who was an indispensable regular under Xavi Hernández and through the early phase of Hansi Flick's tenure.
Now he must scrap to win back his place in the Catalans' pecking order.
The German coach mapped out this shift at the end of last season. His plan always involved Éric García moving up permanently to fill the right-back berth.
García spent a full year as an emergency solution across various roles, whether at centre-back, full-back or even in holding midfield. Flick now sees him as the ideal man to settle on the right and strike up a smooth partnership down that flank with Lamine Yamal.
That decision pushed Koundé back into the heart of the defence, the position where he has always felt most comfortable and which he himself requested during his early months at the club. The trouble is, room at centre-back is now tight.
Pau Cubarsí and Gerard Martín start the campaign as the settled first-choice pairing. Add in Andreas Christensen, who enjoyed a strong pre-season and holds the full trust of the coaching staff, and the queue only lengthens.
The opening rounds have laid bare the new reality. Across the first two La Liga matches, the French defender's involvement was minimal, a world away from the minutes he was once guaranteed.
His level dipped last season compared with his first campaign under Flick. Koundé must now knuckle down and accept a role that demands relentless graft in training and matches if he is to turn things around and reclaim his standing.
Koundé's contract and his future also featured in the club's thinking during the summer transfer window. With the market still open and a full season ahead, his challenge is simple: work hard on the training ground, change the coach's mind and win back the importance he has lost.
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