The screeching won’t stop anytime soon. In the past, after FC Bayern Bundesliga games, there were always players who were particularly in demand with selfie and autograph hunters. Mehmet Scholl was once, Franck Ribéry for a long time and now, since this season, Sadio Mané has been called out particularly loudly.
Even if he still has difficulties to prove that he can play a role like Scholl and Ribéry on the pitch at Bayern Munich.
So much fame preceded Liverpool FC’s so-called king transfer of the summer that it apparently took a few matchdays before opponents in the Bundesliga also noticed that Mané is only a Bayern winger who can definitely be stopped. The Augsburg defence, for example, a combative quartet that in no way required yelling, managed with simple means on Saturday afternoon in Munich’s first defeat of the season to only allow Mané a shot on goal, which can certainly be taken as an indication that the Senegalese has made a good job away from the form in which it is needed.
It’s been five games since Mané scored a goal for Bayern
The courageous Augsburgers defended man against man, which should actually suit players like Mané who are good at dribbling – a few years ago, for example, Bundesliga clubs sometimes let three players loose on a strong Ribéry. But as often as Mané came into one-on-one situations, he seemed so unlucky: Sometimes the ball jumped out of his way, then again he played an inaccurate pass and was thus again found in the lower average performance of Bayern players. It’s been five games since he scored a goal.
FC Augsburg only allowed one shot on goal by Sadio Mané on Saturday afternoon.
(Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Of course, Mané was never signed as a one-to-one replacement for Robert Lewandowski, but after the first, high-scoring games of the season, some hoped that it could be the outstanding final actions that Mané could use to replace his Polish predecessor in Munich could become a thing of the past. Mané is currently a long way from taking over Bayern’s game with individual actions, especially in games against defensive opponents. He had just 46 ball contacts against Augsburg – Leroy Sané on the opposite side had 84.
Critical words therefore came not only from the usual experts, but for the first time from the man who brought Mané to Bayern. “We talk to him a lot, we try to get him on the right track,” said sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic: “But he has to do it himself on the pitch.” Mané has to develop self-confidence in training, so the suggestion for goodness.
Nagelsmann rejects inquiries about Mané after the defeat in Augsburg
The fact that there is currently a lack of this was also recently confirmed by coach Julian Nagelsmann, who continues to allow the 30-year-old many minutes in his position on the left flank, which he is familiar with from Liverpool, and wants to build him up in this way. However, he rejected questions about Mané after the defeat in Augsburg: “We don’t need questions about individual players today,” said Nagelsmann.
Playful and tactical solutions should only be secondary construction sites anyway, FC Bayern would soon need a Mané with a goal-oriented goal finish and the awareness of his own world-class abilities that made him so famous in the Premier League – and in his home country, where also for FC Bayern hopes rest. Mané will play two World Cup friendlies with Senegal in the next two weeks, against Bolivia and in Iran. So two opponents against whom you can certainly develop self-confidence.