3 assists, 4 key passes: Barcelona defensive ace delivers coming-of-age performance vs. Red Star Belgrade | OneFootball

Coming-of-age, as defined by the Cambridge dictionary means ‘the time when someone matures emotionally, or in some other way’. At 25, Barcelona defender Jules Kounde is certainly not coming-of-age as a footballer – he has been playing at a very high level since his Sevilla days.

However, last night’s performance against Red Star Belgrade was Jules Kounde’s ‘coming-of-age’ moment in his new role as a right-back. Having predominantly been a center-back for much of his career, the Frenchman has been transitioning to the new role for some time now.

There was a time when Kounde did not enjoy playing at right-back. This forced Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez to play the French defender at center-back and move Ronald Araujo to the right, although that experiment did not last long.

Kounde was soon shifted back to right-back and he has worked very hard to ensure that he blossoms into one of the very best in the world in that new role. Against Red Star Belgrade, the attacking full-back in him finally exploded, as he provided three assists on the night.

As per stats from SofaScore, Kounde was incredible against the Serbian side. The 25-year-old of course had those three assists against his name but his other stats are worth taking a look at too. Let’s get the defensive stats out of the way first.

Kounde recorded one clearance and blocked one shot on the night. He attempted four ground duels although, surprisingly, he did not win any of them. However, it was in attack that the Frenchman shone through on the night.

He recorded 78 touches on the ball and completed 93% of his 57 attempted passes. He provided 4 key passes on the night. He attempted four crosses on the night and completed his only attempted long ball. It was an incredible display from Kounde.

The only small blip on an otherwise perfect night was that it was his failed clearance that led to Red Star Belgrade scoring their second goal on the night. That is a rare mistake, considering he has always been a better defender than an attacker in the right-back role.

The best part of Kounde is that after the game, the 25-year-old came out and claimed that despite his performance on the night, there was still ‘room for improvement’. It shows the elite mentality that he has and why the Frenchman has been able to transition to the new role.

Some people still don’t understand just how incredible what Kounde has done is. It is never easy to transition from one position that demands a totally different kind of skillset to another at such a late stage in his career. It is much easier doing it in your youth days.

Why Kounde managed to blossom against Belgrade had to do with the freedom he was given going forward. With Alejandro Balde being rested, the 25-year-old was given the room to roam further forward than he usually would and Barcelona benefitted from the same.

There is no better way to put this. Jules Kounde is one of the best right-backs in the world at the moment. Barcelona are extremely lucky to have him in their ranks. It is time to start identifying the Frenchman with his new position and let’s hope he can continue at a similar level going forward.