Leroy Sane - Bayern Munich Player

[DoneDaDa]

There's been light and shadow.
On his day he is a phenomenal player, can dribble past any opponent and his shooting technique is top notch. But he only showed glimpses of these abilities at Bayern.
He clearly tries, but I think he still has a lot to learn in order to succeed in this Bayern team. He competes with Coman, Gnabry and Douglas Costa for playing time. Coman and Gnabry are clearly ahead of him in the pecking order. Even though Gnabry had a very quiet Hinrunde, Flick seems to trust him more than Sané. Coman did very well, Douglas Costa basically is a no-show.

Sané tends to make wrong decisions. Often he dribbles too much, when passing is the better option. Generally speaking, his decision-making is lacking an understanding of Bayern's way to play.
When Bayern cannot counter, they have to be patient and shift the ball from left to right and back again in order to spot the moment when their opponent isn't organized enough and there are gaps in the defense. Often Sané tries to solve these situations by taking on an opponents. Sometimes this is appropriate, sometimes he's just not patient enough. As Bayern defend with a very high line him losing the ball when dribbling is quite dangerous and something they want to avoid.
In addition to that I also remember him sulking from time to time, being "angry"(for lack of better word) with his team mates, when they misplaced a pass.
He also has to improve his back tracking, because when being compared to Coman or Gnabry, he looks lazy.

Today Bayern played Hertha and Sané started the match. He had some really good situations, where he set up chances or dribbled past players, he also sometimes chased back and helped defending when there was a change in possession. These were very good actions, however they were tainted by some really unnecessary losses of possesion. I think this sums up his time at Bayern quite nicely.

All in all I think we still have to wait for 6-12 months in order to reach a clear verdict on him. He was injured for a long time and already missed a month this season due to an injury. I still think Bayern took a (certainly well calculated) risk when signing him.

So, basically he’s the same player he was at City? This is exactly what I heard about City fans speak about him.

In Twitter today I saw a video with Pep giving insight on Cancelo role and position in the team and he said what he expects from his players is to do the simple things and not complicate an action, key thing he said, “Great players are not great because they do exceptional things, but because they do the simple things well.”

This very much down Sane alley he doesn’t seem to do much of the simple things right and always complicate specific actions, which is why he lost his spot at City and hasn’t cemented a spot in Bayern yet but he’s still young so there is time.

 

[redrobed]

It’s a weird feeling seeing a player that played for a rival of a team you support move to a team you support. Any other Munich and Utd supporters feel me?

 

[JuliaScalaR]

As @Acrobat7 mentioned, at Bayern he's coming from the right, playing the inverted winger role. So he's not been hugging the sidelines as much as he did at City. But apart from that, I think, he didn't change much. Although admittely, I didn't watch too much City games back when he played there.
You also have to keep in mind, that he's not a talent anymore. He's not that young at 25 years of age and at some point in time, there will be the moment, when people start doubting his willingness or ability to change and improve his game. That's what I meant with the calculated risk Bayern took. I think Sané can turn it around and be a starter in this Bayern team, but he has to adapt.
Apart from that, it's certainly a nice thing to have Sané coming from the bench, when the opponents' legs grow heavy. But given his talent, this would be a waste.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

There's been light and shadow.
On his day he is a phenomenal player, can dribble past any opponent and his shooting technique is top notch. But he only showed glimpses of these abilities at Bayern.
He clearly tries, but I think he still has a lot to learn in order to succeed in this Bayern team. He competes with Coman, Gnabry and Douglas Costa for playing time. Coman and Gnabry are clearly ahead of him in the pecking order. Even though Gnabry had a very quiet Hinrunde, Flick seems to trust him more than Sané. Coman did very well, Douglas Costa basically is a no-show.

Sané tends to make wrong decisions. Often he dribbles too much, when passing is the better option. Generally speaking, his decision-making is lacking an understanding of Bayern's way to play.
When Bayern cannot counter, they have to be patient and shift the ball from left to right and back again in order to spot the moment when their opponent isn't organized enough and there are gaps in the defense. Often Sané tries to solve these situations by taking on an opponents. Sometimes this is appropriate, sometimes he's just not patient enough. As Bayern defend with a very high line him losing the ball when dribbling is quite dangerous and something they want to avoid.
In addition to that I also remember him sulking from time to time, being "angry"(for lack of better word) with his team mates, when they misplaced a pass.
He also has to improve his back tracking, because when being compared to Coman or Gnabry, he looks lazy.

Today Bayern played Hertha and Sané started the match. He had some really good situations, where he set up chances or dribbled past players, he also sometimes chased back and helped defending when there was a change in possession. These were very good actions, however they were tainted by some really unnecessary losses of possesion. I think this sums up his time at Bayern quite nicely.

All in all I think we still have to wait for 6-12 months in order to reach a clear verdict on him. He was injured for a long time and already missed a month this season due to an injury. I still think Bayern took a (certainly well calculated) risk when signing him.

That's nothing unique to Bayern, and would be applicable to City and most other clubs too. If you can't hit teams with an effective counter you have to be patient in your play. Seems to just be a Sane thing than a Sane Bayern thing. Most likely to do with his maturity and football brain which needs to further improve.

 

[criticalanalysis]

I thought this thread bump was because someone else spotted BBC's 'mistake'.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football



They used Sane's face but mention Coman scoring the goal in the headline but then there's no mention of him in the article either.

 

[renandstimpyfan83]

I thought this thread bump was because someone else spotted BBC's 'mistake'.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football



They used Sane's face but mention Coman scoring the goal in the headline but then there's no mention of him in the article either.

I assume they used that picture because it depicts the weather conditions well but still quite confusing.

Looking at that Bayern team and it’s shocking they only played with one genuine midfielder (Kimmich) behind five forwards. Is that typical from them this season?

 

[Pep's Suit]

Sane's always been inconsistent for City and liked to do whatever he wanted on the pitch. Plus obviously that terrible injury happened. The worst case scenario for Bayern is they have a german player who can play 3 different positions and is better than what any of their 'competition' can offer.

 

[Blackwidow]

I assume they used that picture because it depicts the weather conditions well but still quite confusing.

Looking at that Bayern team and it’s shocking they only played with one genuine midfielder (Kimmich) behind five forwards. Is that typical from them this season?

No. But I think that was more a tactical idea as Müller and Gnabry are more fighters than e.g. Roca or Tolisso (who comes from an injury - Goretzka and Martinez are out with Covid) and Flick expected Dardai to get his team to fight for every centimetre on the pitch. The weather conditions were a big factor, too. If you know that the ball possession and ball circulation story does not work on this pitch and with this opponent you might try to go another way. And it actually could have worked a lot better if e.g. Lewy would have made his penalty etc.

I actually think that the weather conditions - if they are like predicted - could be a big factor in today's matches, too.

 

[criticalanalysis]

I assume they used that picture because it depicts the weather conditions well but still quite confusing.

Looking at that Bayern team and it’s shocking they only played with one genuine midfielder (Kimmich) behind five forwards. Is that typical from them this season?

They've changed it. Looks like a case of 'mistaken' identity ala Romelu Stormzy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/european

 

[adexkola]

Bayern's worst player over these 2 legs

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Turned into Theo Walcott today.

 

[Kasper]

Flop so far. Good enough to bully the likes of Bielefeld but hasn`t moved the needle on the high level at all.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Bayern's worst player over these 2 legs

Agreed. Don't understand personally why he was used from the right; he's always been at his best when played from the left imo. I understand Coman prefers to play from that side but for me Coman is the more two footed and adaptable player - Sane has never been particularly good at cutting inside onto his left and is far better when getting in behind then cutting it back from the left wing.

 

[Judas]

I just don't think he's that great and hasn't progressed half as much as people expected him to do.

 

[harms]

I'm not sure if he is the same player that he was pre-injury in terms of pure athleticism (he doesn't look as insanely fast as he looked before, just regular fast), but playing him on the right is a crime against football. Or at least tell him what to do once he beats his fullback, he's about as threatening as Tony V was after he forgot how to cross.

 

[thepolice123]

He lacks awareness and is very predictable on the ball. That was like a Rashford carrying an injury and playing at 50% type of performance.

 

[FrankDrebin]

His best form for City was when he played on the left and stretched play.

 

[Red Devil 26]

Might just be selective memory on my part in trying to make this point, but a lot of his attacking contributions for City that I recall were him using his blistering pace/ agility to beat players rather than close control dribbling. Also felt a lot of his goals came from drilling it across the goal keeper rather than using bend on the ball. Feel like all his best traits are better utilised on the left.

 

[kaiser1]

Still baffled why Flick didnt think to switch him and Coman even if for 15mins

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Still baffled why Flick didnt think to switch him and Coman even if for 15mins

Especially having the first leg as evidence. Definitely a weird one.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Still baffled why Flick didnt think to switch him and Coman even if for 15mins

Felt it was poor judgement from Flick tonight. Going more direct down the sides would've given PSG and their fullbacks more trouble or atleast something else to think about. The fact both Coman and Sane came inside so regularly just helped PSG get numbers inside and around the box more quickly.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Felt it was poor judgement from Flick tonight. Going more direct down the sides would've given PSG and their fullbacks more trouble or atleast something else to think about. The fact both Coman and Sane came inside so regularly just helped PSG get numbers inside and around the box more quickly.

Spot on. Personally I feel it's almost universally better to isolate shaky defenders 1v1 and Bayern set up to do the opposite of that for the most part.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Likely would've got the best out of Choupa and Muller too.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Likely would've got the best out of Choupa and Muller too.

Yep, providing service to Muller should have been the priority. Setting the wingers up to be goal threats when that's just not their strength at the expense of potential Muller chances seems backwards to me at least.

 

[Bastian]

Might just be selective memory on my part in trying to make this point, but a lot of his attacking contributions for City that I recall were him using his blistering pace/ agility to beat players rather than close control dribbling. Also felt a lot of his goals came from drilling it across the goal keeper rather than using bend on the ball. Feel like all his best traits are better utilised on the left.

I just remember thinking that he looked like a bona fide Man Utd left winger. I know people are hating on him in the last couple of hours, but I really like him.

 

[thepolice123]

Felt it was poor judgement from Flick tonight. Going more direct down the sides would've given PSG and their fullbacks more trouble or atleast something else to think about. The fact both Coman and Sane came inside so regularly just helped PSG get numbers inside and around the box more quickly.

They played exactly the same in the first leg, the difference this time I think was that both the Bayern fullbacks were extremely poor in the attacking sense while the PSG attackers tracked back more often. They had Sane isolated a few times by constantly spreading long diagonal balls to him but Diallo defended his left foot expertly.

 

[FrankDrebin]

I just remember thinking that he looked like a bona fide Man Utd left winger. I know people are hating on him in the last couple of hours, but I really like him.

Yep, I rate him highly too.
Just refreshing to see quality out-and-out wide players who consistently and effectively cause danger by going down the sides. Seems rare nowadays from the top teams to see such directness on the wings.

 

[A-man]

Felt it was poor judgement from Flick tonight. Going more direct down the sides would've given PSG and their fullbacks more trouble or atleast something else to think about. The fact both Coman and Sane came inside so regularly just helped PSG get numbers inside and around the box more quickly.

I don’t disagree that coming inside was overall notncreating much, but thought Coman was going on the outside quite a lot, like the goal. Or maybe I misunderstood you?

 

[Lassitude42]

He's all left foot - he needs to play on the left or not at all.

I would also question his heart.

 

[Brwned]

Surprised he played the second leg after being the clear weak link in the first leg. Completely unreliable in all the key moments.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Surprised he played the second leg after being the clear weak link in the first leg. Completely unreliable in all the key moments.

To be fair there weren't really viable alternatives - Bayern have been absolutely decimated by injuries and COVID.

I am surprised he played on the right again at least after offering virtually nothing from that side in the first leg, though!

 

[kaiser1]

Gnabry would have been lethal on the right

 

[Brwned]

To be fair there weren't really viable alternatives - Bayern have been absolutely decimated by injuries and COVID.

I am surprised he played on the right again at least after offering virtually nothing from that side in the first leg, though!

Yeah really poor options but I’d rather have Musiala slightly out of position there than rely on him again. Tbh I’d have preferred a statue than him out there. Would be infuriated with his performances as the coach. Don’t understand why he plays on the right at all, his options are so poor when going on the outside and his shooting and passing are nowhere near dangerous enough on the inside, but still no excuses for such poor decisions the few times he managed to get into good positions.

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

Yeah really poor options but I’d rather have Musiala slightly out of position there than rely on him again. Tbh I’d have preferred a statue than him out there. Would be infuriated with his performances as the coach. Don’t understand why he plays on the right at all, his options are so poor when going on the outside and his shooting and passing are nowhere near dangerous enough on the inside, but still no excuses for such poor decisions the few times he managed to get into good positions.

Yeah maybe! Or perhaps putting Muller further out on the right; he's played there pretty effectively in the past though the same issue with him coming inside where Musiala and Coman are operating would apply. Maybe even putting Sane on the left, Musiala down the middle, and Muller further right would have been better - though Coman performed better he's possibly slightly harder to fit in structurally?

 

[Raees]

I'm not sure if he is the same player that he was pre-injury in terms of pure athleticism (he doesn't look as insanely fast as he looked before, just regular fast), but playing him on the right is a crime against football. Or at least tell him what to do once he beats his fullback, he's about as threatening as Tony V was after he forgot how to cross.

Looked sharp but just wasted as an inverted winger.

 

[Acrobat7]

He's all left foot - he needs to play on the left or not at all.

I would also question his heart.

Robben did quite okay playing as a right winger. Granted, he was also miles better.
Bayern’s usual setup is that the fullbacks overlap so that is why they choose inverted wingers.
But i agree, Sané was poor and switching up the wings my have offered a spark. As of now he has unfortunately been a waste of money.

 

[passing-wind]

Robben did quite okay playing as a right winger. Granted, he was also miles better.
Bayern’s usual setup is that the fullbacks overlap so that is why they choose inverted wingers.
But i agree, Sané was poor and switching up the wings my have offered a spark. As of now he has unfortunately been a waste of money.

Robben by all accounts was an inverted forward Sane throughout his time at city has showed the qualities of a touchline winger. He's surely going to have to adapt his output to compete against Gnabry / Coman. I'm unsure how he's played this season but could be a questionable career move having been nullified by the competition of Sterling / Silva to have the exact same issue in Germany.

 

[Harry190]

If I were the coach, I would have taken him off at half time after he decided to shoot instead of passing when Muller was completely open on goal. That was a 90% chance.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Was excellent for City but hasn't found his feet at Bayern. Like with others, don't understand why he's playing on the right? His strength was never cutting and shooting but rather beating his man on the outside on the left and crossing/shooting.

 

[berbatrick]

For all the criticism, he had his fullback beaten effortlessly so many times.