Flick punishes Koundé again: the reason for his unexpected benching against Rayo

If there is one thing that Hansi Flick has made clear since his arrival at the helm of FC Barcelona, it is that punctuality is the only rule that is non-negotiable. The German is very strict and inflexible with this rule, and Iñaki Peña and Jules Koundé know its consequences firsthand. While the Alicante native ended up losing his starting position due to a delay in the Supercopa de España, the Frenchman has been punished three times for violating this directive.

The latest of these occurred on Monday, February 17, as reported by journalist Gerard Romero on 'Jijantes', the player arrived late again to the pre-match talk before the game against Rayo Vallecano in Montjuïc, and the azulgrana coach has punished him again with a spot on the bench, giving the starting position to Héctor Fort.

Koundé is punished for the third time in LaLiga

"It is an internal decision", stated Flick to the microphones of 'Movistar+', hinting at the new penalty for Koundé, his third this season, all in LaLiga. The first occurred against Alavés, when the Parisian arrived two minutes late to the technical talk and the German left him on the bench, marking his first benching of the season. The player would eventually play half an hour in that match.

Subsequently, the same scenario repeated itself in the derby against Espanyol. On that occasion, Koundé's delay was only one minute, but the culé coach reiterated the importance of punctuality in his project. Now, the defender will once again watch a match from the bench for the same reason, this time against Rayo in matchday 24 of the league competition.

In all these instances, the big beneficiary has been Héctor Fort, who will enjoy his third start of the season against the franjirrojos. The player has accumulated 399 minutes spread over 13 matches played in all competitions, and in Montjuïc, he will have a golden opportunity to prove his worth in a new 'test of fire' for Barça.