Barcelona defender hopes to emulate Messi-Alves partnership with youngster – ‘Hopefully one day’

Jules Kounde has been one of Hansi Flick’s most-used players this season and has made the right-back position his own against all odds.

Slowly adapting to the new role asked of him, the French international is now no less than a seasoned option at right-back and appears set to continue in the new position in the future.

So far this season, he has been sensational in both attack and defence and is only improving with every passing game. Heading into the game against Real Madrid, however, he faces a serious test in defending against Vinicius Jr.

Speaking in a recent interview with fan-streamer Markaroni on YouTube, the Barcelona right-back discussed his thoughts ahead of El Clasico, the connection he has with Lamine Yamal and other related topics.

He began by giving his two cents on the understanding he enjoyed with young Yamal on his flank and how they coordinated to maximise the activity on the wing.

“I think we understand each other pretty well. Lamine is very easy to play with. He is young and sometimes I have to talk to him, especially on the defensive side because offensive-wise I can. I can’t teach him anything.” 

He was then asked about his connection with Yamal echoing Dani Alves’ connection with Lionel Messi, to which he humbly said,

“The comparison is great and hopefully one day we can reach their level – Lamine-Messi and me-Alves. They were two amazing players and the connection was one of the best ever between a right-back and a right winger.”

“I think I’m getting more confident every game am enjoying it a little bit more every game and I just try to work hard to be able to complement his game and to give him option when he has the ball whether it is overlapping or just taking with me a defender,” he added on his bond with Yamal.

Speaking on Barcelona’s strong start to the season, he elaborated on what was different this season.

“A major congratulations to the coach. I think we understand very well how the coach wants to play and are enjoying our football right now. Being intense, being aggressive playing a high line and scoring a lot of goals.” 

Looking ahead to El Clasico, the defender gave his two cents on what he expected on the night and how he felt in the buildup.

“More excitement than pressure, to be honest, it’s just a pure joy to be able to play another Clasico. It’s also a big game. It’s only three points, but yeah we know that this game is special.”

“Obviously, it’s gonna be a tough game. It’s a great team who know how to win,” he added.

Finally, he gave his thoughts on the upcoming duel with Vinicius Jr., saying,

“As far as facing Vinicius, he is probably the best the best left-winger in the world. I think that it is a challenge and will help me to measure where I am in my game and what I need to improve.”