A 1-0 win at Athletic Club on Saturday night saw Barcelona re-open a four-point lead at the top of La Liga.
It’s now three league victories on the spin for Hansi Flick’s men. Four in all competitions if you factor in the 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid last week. That said, Barcelona crashed out of the Copa Del Rey, losing 4-3 on aggregate. The Blaugrana won the battle, but they lost the war.
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Midweek success also came at a cost. Jules Kounde was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury early in the clash. Similarly, his replacement on the night, Alejandro Balde, also suffered an issue. Both players will miss the trip to Newcastle on Tuesday.
Kounde’s injury a blow
Suddenly, Barcelona are without both first-choice full-backs for their crunch round-of-16 clash. The Spanish side could arguably make do without Balde. The absence of Kounde, however, is huge. Whether it’s Harvey Barnes or Anthony Gordon who starts on the left in midweek, they’ll have breathed a sigh of relief when it was confirmed the Frenchman would miss out.
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Kounde’s impact for Barcelona cannot over overstated. The 27-year-old is arguably one of the best right-backs in Europe. The France star doesn’t get the same plaudits as others in his role but that shouldn’t detract his importance for Flick’s side. Kounde shows the willingness to get forward when needs must to help stretch the play.
Frenchman and Yamal’s partnership
The Spanish side’s preference is to attack down the right as one might expect. After all, Flick is able to call upon the exceptional Lamine Yamal down that side. And you better believe both the Spaniard and Kounde have forged a flying partnership down the right.
Kounde is there to effectively mop up behind Yamal. The former’s defensive input allows the latter to wreak havoc in the final third. What’s key, though, is that Kounde is ready to fly forward in order to overlap Yamal, the Spaniard routinely looking to cut infield.
The defender may not always be picked out by Yamal, who is more than capable of taking his marker on. That shouldn’t diminish Kounde’s role for the Spanish giants, however. The willingness to yo-yo up and down the flank drags markers out of position. Space that would otherwise be at a premium appears for Yamal to exploit. No player has completed more take ons than Yamal (27) in the Champions League this season.
Flick’s full-back cover
That wouldn’t be possible with Kounde. As such, his absence is going to hinder Barcelona more than some may care to admit. Admittedly, Flick has relevant cover for both Kounde and Balde at left-back. Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo are handy deputies at left-back. Ronald Araujo can play right-back, too.
In all likelihood, however, Eric Garcia is expected to shift across to right-back. It was Garcia who started here against Athletic Club over the weekend. A centre-back by trade, the Spaniard has made seven league starts on the right side of defence this season. It’s not the first time that the 25-year-old has deputised at right-back, notably doing so when Kounde was injured in the Champions League semi-final against Inter last season.
Importantly, Garcia has been effective in the role when needed, ensuring that Kounde wasn’t overly missed when the latter endured a spell on the sidelines. Barcelona will now be hoping for a similar impact over the coming weeks. As we approach the business end of the campaign, this is a crucial period for the Spanish powerhouse.
Can Garcia deputise for Kounde?
Out of the Copa del Rey, Barcelona now have just La Liga and the Champions League to focus on. Flick’s side were handed the easier side of the draw. Victory over Newcastle will see them take on Atletico Madrid or Tottenham in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They may then face Arsenal in the semi-finals if they make it that far.
Kounde’s absence is a blow, of that there is no doubt. The former Sevilla man provides both defensive resolve and the unrelenting desire to try and support Yamal when Barcelona push forward. Whereas once Kounde’s injury would have severely impacted Barcelona’s quest to secure a first leg advantage, Garcia has proven a more-than sufficient stand-in at the back.
His emergence as a first-choice backup could be what helps Barcelona take a huge step into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
