Flick punishes Barcelona mainstay for lateness by benching him vs Rayo Vallecano | OneFootball

As Barcelona kick things off against Rayo Vallecano at the Montjuic Stadium, there is a surprise omission from the starting lineup made by manager Hansi Flick.

Indeed, the German tactician decided to bench Jules Kounde for the clash against Inigo Perez’s men, instead opting to start with Hector Fort at right-back.

Kounde punished again

Now, according to Jijantes (h/t SPORT), Kounde has been left out of the lineup by the Barcelona manager as a punishment for his being late to a team meeting.

Flick has made it abundantly clear in the past that he will not hesitate to enforce his rules, with the German tactician valuing punctuality among his players very highly.

Kounde had already been at the receiving end of such a punishment, when he was left out of the team against Alaves for arriving late to a team talk.

Inaki Pena also bore the brunt of Flick’s strict rules on the matter, getting benched for the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club.

No leniency from Flick. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

Now, Kounde has repeated the same mistake, and Flick has once again taken action by leaving him out of the starting lineup for Barcelona’s match against Rayo Vallecano.

Shortly after the lineup was announced, Flick confirmed in a flash interview that the decision was “an internal matter,” reinforcing his no-nonsense approach to discipline.

Instead, Fort has taken his place in the starting XI.

Third start for Fort

It has been a difficult season for Hector Fort with Kounde’s brilliant form keeping him out of action and starving him of minutes.

As such, this is just his third start of the season having previously been named in the playing XI against Alaves, when Kounde was punished, and once more vs. Espanyol.

The 18-year-old academy product has another opportunity to prove himself and earn more minutes.

As for Kounde, whether further disciplinary action will be taken remains to be seen following his second breach.