Barcelona star could lose starting XI spot after poor showing against Villarreal: Reports

Jules Kounde could reportedly lose his position in Barcelona's starting XI after an underwhelming display against Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday (August 27).

The Frenchman was used as a full-back several times last season, which isn't his preferred position. As per El Nacional, he had asked manager Xavi Hernandez to play him in central defense once again this term.

Kounde started in a centre-back pairing alongside Andreas Christensen against Villarreal. However, he left a lot to be desired with his performance and was constantly put under pressure by the hosts at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Kounde did not look comfortable when dealing with attacks and was constantly drawn out of position to cover for Sergi Roberto on the right flank. The French centre-back also extended Barca's offside line by a small margin during Villarreal's counter-attack for the second goal.

It wasn't much, but it was enough for Alexander Sorloth to be onside. The Norway international played an integral role in the build-up to the goal, which he finished off himself through a simple tap-in.

The aforementioned report says that Kounde could lose his position in the starting XI once Barcelona have a fit backline. Currently, summer signing Inigo Martinez is sidelined with a muscle injury while Ronald Araujo is nursing a hamstring issue that will keep him out till October.

Kounde has played every minute of his team's three La Liga games so far, where they have picked up a combined seven points.

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Xavi Hernandez reassures Ferran Torres of his role at Barcelona

Ferran Torres' future at Barcelona has been up in the air for most of the summer transfer window.

Reports have claimed that Barcelona are willing to sell him before the September 1 deadline, but Xavi reckons Torres still has a role to play in the team.

For the second straight game, Torres came off the bench to score. This time, it was a 68th-minute strike that drew the scores level at 3-3. Xavi said, via BarcaTV+ (h/t BarcaUniversal):

"Ferran is hungry. He has ambition, and he believes it. He wants to succeed at Barca, and he’s sure that he can make it through hard work and effort. I already said it: he’s an example for the rest of the players. He’s always there."

Torres, 23, has played just 32 minutes across competitions this season. and his game time could be limited given Lamine Yamal's rise under Xavi.

Apart from the two Spaniards, the former Al-Sadd manager has Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati and Raphinha in attack, with Vitor Roque set to join the team in January.