Hansi Flick said he benched Jules Kounde in Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano after arriving late for a pre-match meeting.
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Kounde benched for being late
It’s the second time this season that Kounde’s tardiness has cost him his starting spot in the squad.
The French defender was also benched against Alavés in October for the same reason.
Kounde eventually subbed in for Hector Fort in the 66th minute, as Robert Lewandowski’s first half penalty sent Barca back to the top of LaLiga.
Meanwhile, Flick said he will speak with the 26-year-old about his punctuality.
The German coach has strict rules about punctuality, having benched goalkeeper Iñaki Peña for the Spanish Supercopa semifinal against Athletic Club in January after he arrived late to a pre-game meeting.
“Before the match, we have maybe two or three appointments for the players, meetings,” Flick explained in the post-game news conference.
“And this is very important the players are there. It’s not very difficult to do this. It’s not only about me, it’s about [respect] for the players, the club, the fans.
“I don’t want to say more because I want to speak with him. But he was too late. It’s a clear rule, so he cannot start. This is what happened today.”
“It changes nothing”
Nonetheless, the Catalan side barely defeated a Rayo team that was unbeaten in nine league games.
Barca is now on a 12 game unbeaten streak in all competitions, and the three points took them back to the top of the table.
“It’s not good to always [look at] the table because there is a long way to go,” Flick added on returning to top spot.
“I am happy for the fans, the club, they deserve this situation. We always said we fight to the end and it changes nothing. We have to fight until the end, match by match, this is how we want to finish the season.
“At the end we are happy with the win. A day like today, we are very happy to have the three points. It was very hard. It was not easy to win.”
