Source: REUTERS/Juan Medina
[Saba Sports News] According to Spanish media reports, Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has been punished three times this season by coach Hans-Dieter Flick for being late, making him the only player on the team to face such penalties. The reports state that Kounde has been punished by Flick for being late to meetings three times this season. The latest incident occurred during the derby against Espanyol when he was one minute late for a tactical meeting. Kounde seems to be struggling to adapt to Flick’s “German rigor.” In fact, he is currently the only player punished by the German coach. Due to the same reason of being late to tactical meetings, he has been excluded from the starting lineup three times. Even though he is one of the hardest-working players in training, this reason was not enough to spare him from punishment. The first incident happened during pre-season when Kounde arrived four minutes late. Flick looked at him in shock and firmly stated, “You will not start today.” His teammates were all surprised by this scene.