The absence of Jules Koundé in Flick's starting eleven to face Rayo Vallecano was surprising.
Koundé is one of the pillars of the German coach, a regular in his line-ups who plays everything.
Hansi Flick Punishes Koundé
However, Barça took to the Montjuïc field without Koundé, surprising the spectators who filled the blaugrana venue tonight.
Koundé has only disappeared from FC Barcelona's starting eleven twice. And on both occasions, the reason was his lack of punctuality.
Today he did it again. According to Jijantes, Flick punished Koundé and removed him from the line-up. Flick doesn't forgive tardiness, and Koundé knew it and is a repeat offender.
Iñaki Peña Lost His Starting Position for the Same Reason
Koundé remained on the bench. Flick didn't want to completely give up on him, just in case. Flick tried to downplay the issue by assuring that Koundé's absence was a technical decision.
However, the decision is clearly disciplinary. Koundé is the most recurrent player in matters of tardiness.
The issue is so important to Flick that Iñaki Peña lost his starting position for being late to a training session.