Jules Kounde reveals the changes Barcelona had to make after Pau Cubarsi’s expulsion | OneFootball

It was not an easy night as FC Barcelona returned to the UEFA Champions League after their incredible performance in the League Phase of the competition.

The Blaugranes were able to win 0-1 in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie against SL Benfica, but they had to work very hard as they played the majority of the game with a numerical disadvantage following Pau Cubarsi’s expulsion in the 22nd minute.

This red card forced the Catalans to approach this game in a different way than they ideally would have. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the defender Jules Kounde also highlighted this aspect as he talked to the media after the game.

The Frenchman identified what changes his team had to make to adapt to Cubarsi’s expulsion:

“I’m happy. These kinds of matches define the season. We’re not sending a message to Europe; the message today was for ourselves because sometimes you have to play differently.”

“Today, we had to drop the defensive line a bit because playing against Benfica with one man down and a high line would have been very difficult. We have to highlight how well we adapted and the team’s effort, from the forwards all the way to the goalkeeper.”

The Barcelona defender went on to reveal that he prefers today’s result than the one his team got over Benfica in the League Phase:

“I prefer a 0-1 over a 4-5 because, as a defender, I always want a clean sheet.”

Overall, the French defender was quite satisfied with his team’s performance:

“When you play with one less, the effort has to be extra, and we did well, closing down the inside and not leaving many spaces for Benfica. It’s true they had chances, but they came from the flanks, so I think we did a pretty good job.”

There is no doubt that this was a heroic performance from Barcelona, and the one-goal advantage they take to the second leg can prove to be pivotal in this tie.