Leroy Sané played a second half of the season to forget. National coach Hansi Flick is in demand as a therapist.
Leon Goretzka lovingly placed his arm on Leroy Sané’s shoulder upon arrival at the Marbella Football Center, while Hansi Flick relied on talk therapy for his problem child. “We’ll talk to each other a lot,” announced the national coach before the first training session under the Spanish sun.
Flick hopes that after a forgettable second half of the season with the German record champions Bayern Munich, Sané will now think differently in the circle of the national soccer team – and the Nations League duels against European champions Italy (June 4 and 14), the EM Second England (June 7th) and Hungary (June 11th) unencumbered concerns. “He’s really happy to be here. He’s looking forward to the task, to the games,” assured Flick.
Sané recently gave up many puzzles. His fluctuating performance, his sometimes non-existent body language drove those responsible in Munich to despair. After a strong first half of the season with five goals and five assists, the 26-year-old only managed two goals and two assists in the second half of the season. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann recently complained that he couldn’t say why Sané didn’t always reach his performance limit.
Sané in a good mood at the DFB
On Tuesday, Sané clearly had fun in fantastic conditions. He laughed a lot during the fun exercises at the beginning of the hour and a half session. The 42-time national player (eleven goals) also received support from his teammates. “It’s not easy, no matter for whom, when you have to take a lot of criticism over a long period of time. If I’m going through a bad phase, it doesn’t help if everyone continues to tear me down,” said Jamal Musiala at Sport1 and assured: “We team-mates are all behind him.”
Sané wants to flip the switch after he often snuck across the lawn in Munich with his shoulders hanging down. “If he doesn’t have the body tension, then I don’t like it,” said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic recently. Captain Manuel Neuer defended the offensive player in Andalusia: “Leroy is an emotional guy and sensitive about some things. It wasn’t a bad year. He had ups and downs.”
DFB: Sané puts in an extra shift
In contrast to other national players such as Joshua Kimmich or Marco Reus, Sané came to the active holiday on the Costa del Sol without a family. In the World Cup year, the full concentration is on the important location determination in the Nations League.
Flick once again underlined the importance of the games against top-class opponents. “We’re seeing some of the best in the world again. The four games will show us how far we still have to go,” said the 57-year-old.
And they will show how far Sané is back to his best form. After training, he did a few more runs after he didn’t get that much time in Munich recently. Sané wants to attack again.