Leroy Sané was to turn the game between FC Bayern and FSV Mainz in the second half. Instead, the international went down with the team. After the game, he made headlines with a frustrated exit. Coach Julian Nagelsmann then protected him, but also expressed criticism.
A week after the public lecture by sports director Hasan Salihamidzic, the hoped-for reaction from Leroy Sané failed to materialize. In Bayern Munich’s 3-1 defeat in Mainz, the national player who came on during the break delivered one of his weakest performances of the season (sport.de rating 5.5). The statistics for the 26-year-old noted a shot on goal and a tackle quota of 22 percent (seven out of nine lost), who also initiated the third goal by losing the ball.
After the final whistle, Sané let his frustration run free: the offensive man disappeared straight into the dressing room, refrained from high fives with his teammates and the obligatory visit to his own fans.
While Sané’s departure caused discussions and headlines externally, Julian Nagelsmann didn’t want to be too harsh on his player in the subsequent PK. “Out of 100 professionals, 50 do it. And 50 go out. Everyone deals with such situations differently,” the coach didn’t want to hang too high on Sané’s frustration escape.
However, there was a bit of criticism in the coach’s words. Basically, added Nagelsmann, it is better “to approach the fans. That’s part of the job. But just as every fan has his character, so does every player”. You don’t have to “put everything on the gold scales”.
Especially in the case of Sané, Bayern are looking very closely at the moment. Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic made that clear during his TV appearance last weekend. There the Bosnian demanded of his player: “We always talk about potential. And I want to see potential on the pitch.” Sané did not comply with this requirement at the weekend.