Leroy Sané also shone in the 5:2 over Benfica Lisbon. Afterwards, coach Julian Nagelsmann sought an explanation for the German international’s recent surge in performance.
Midway through the second period, the satisfaction also made itself felt verbally. “I said in the 70th minute: ‘It’s nice when people are there – and you don’t have to watch the game on TV’,” Julian Nagelsmann explained after the final whistle on “Prime Video”. He had a broad grin on his lips several times during his comeback. “It was fun to watch again,” said the Bayern coach.
Leroy Sané, among others, had a particularly good time. The German international contributed a goal and an assist to the 5:2 win over Benfica Lisbon, and was always in the thick of things when things went quickly through the centre. Nagelsmann called his performance “outstanding”, “he played one of his most active games today. “
Scene applause for “talentless actions “
The Bayern coach did not completely conceal his look back at worse times. “It is unbelievably strong what happened after Cologne,” said Nagelsmann. At the home game against FC at the end of August, Sané was booed by his own fans. On Wednesday, he picked up several scenes of applause – and not only for his offensive performance.
“He has these talentless actions,” Nagelsmann said at the press conference and explained this expression as follows: “Actions for which you don’t need talent. In the first half he defended a standard with Phonzie (Davies, ed.) behind for 70 metres, where the spectators celebrate him. That’s good for anyone when people are out there screaming and cheering.”
New position as a factor in improving performance
Nagelsmann blamed the 25-year-old’s new position as a factor in Sané’s improved performance in recent weeks. He had already played on the ten in his three scorers in the 4-0 win in Lisbon, and on Tuesday he took up the half-left position of the attacking five in the unfamiliar 3-1-5-1. “If he plays more centre-heavy, he has more actions and shorter routes in counter-pressing,” Nagelsmann explained.
A real re-education was not necessary, however, according to Nagelsmann. “The other positioning and not much else,” the coach replied to the question raised by himself at the press conference about what he had done with Sané. There was one thing, though: “I quite like him. The rest he has already done himself. “
