From the peak of brilliance to the substitutes' bench: a dark historic first for a Barcelona star

Has the journey neared its end?

A press report revealed today, Sunday, a historic first for Barcelona player Jules Koundé, exposing a difficult situation for the French player.

According to "Mundo Deportivo", breaking into Barcelona's starting line-up is no easy task. Competition is fierce for every position, and no one is guaranteed a place in the starting eleven.

Hansi Flick does not reward seniority. He rewards performance. And Koundé knows it.

Barcelona's right-back sat out his third consecutive match in Seville, in the club's last La Liga win.

He had never faced this before, the paper confirmed. It is his new reality.

Koundé's season looks nothing like his previous ones, nothing like his displays under Flick, under Barcelona's former coaches, or even his time at Sevilla.

Ten minutes was all he managed across the first two matches against Elche and Athletic Bilbao. He started the third against Rayo Vallecano, came on as a substitute in the fourth after Eric García's injury, then returned to the line-up against Feyenoord only to be hauled off half an hour before the end.

Since that Champions League match, Koundé has missed three games running. He did not play against Levante, Racing, or even Sevilla, his former club.

Flick insists the Frenchman can play centre-back, yet has used him only at right-back.

The left side tells a different story. Barcelona signed Espart as an emergency measure to plug a gap. He started four matches, lost his place to Cancelo against Feyenoord, won it back against Levante, then lost it again in the last two against Racing and Sevilla.