After his strong performances in the first half of the season, Leroy Sané is once again struggling with performance fluctuations. Although FC Bayern have got back on track after three wins in a row recently, the 28-year-old has been playing below his level again for several weeks.
Sané scored his last goal almost six weeks ago in the 3:1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The winger has been substituted early six times in a row and has only scored one goal in eleven games across all competitions in the second half of the season.
His scoring rate has also dropped significantly: Sané’s last goal in the Bundesliga was a brace in the first leg against Darmstadt 98 almost five months ago. In the Champions League, he last scored on the first matchday of the preliminary round against Manchester United.
The season had started promisingly for the winger: In the first half of the season, Sané delivered reliably, scoring eight times and had set up ten goals by matchday 17.
Many fans were hoping that Sané would finally bring consistency to his performances in his fourth season at the record champions.
However, Sane has increasingly lost his vigour in recent games and has repeatedly struggled with minor injuries that have restricted his playing style. Against SC Freiburg a fortnight ago, the 28-year-old even had to sit out completely.
He will not be travelling to the next two international matches against France and the Netherlands. After his assault in the friendly against Austria last autumn, Sane was banned for three international matches.
Tuchel with a clear message to Sane
Before Bayern’s 5-2 win over Darmstadt 98, Tuchel explained how Sane will spend the international break: „My favourite thing is that he plays and plays and plays. We have to bridge it well for him, he’ll be here and train, treat the aches and pains.“
The Bayern coach also called for Sané to improve his performance and made it clear before the Darmstadt game: „He has to deliver tomorrow, otherwise he’ll have to train every day.“
