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FC Bayern Munich – comment on Sadio Mané: FCB must now pull the emergency brake

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FC Bayern Munich – comment on Sadio Mané: FCB must now pull the emergency brake

Sadio Mané has been suspended from Bayern Munich for one game after punching Leroy Sané in the face. It is the low point of a season in which the Senegalese has so far seemed like a foreign body within the team. That’s another reason why FCB should question further cooperation – but also itself. A comment.

Hollywood FC is back. Or rather the UFC Hollywood? After Sadio Mané punched his teammate Leroy Sané in the face, FC Bayern suspended the Senegalese for one game. A decision that is understandable from a purely sporting perspective, as coach Thomas Tuchel needs every man for the second leg in the Champions League against Manchester City.

But if you are completely honest, this story should only be the beginning of the end for Mané at Munich. By summer at the latest, it would be the wisest decision if all parties agree that the season was a big misunderstanding – and the record champions go to themselves to rethink their transfer policy.

You have to give those responsible around Hasan Salihamidzic credit for the fact that Mané has been an absolute world-class player in recent years. Attempting to sign such a man when he is available is neither preposterous nor predictably doomed. And yet many of the problems were foreseeable.

FC Bayern Munich: Sadio Mané fell short of expectations

On the one hand, 16 goals in 32 appearances (24 of them from the start) are not enough. On the other hand, it is exactly what one could expect from the attacker. 0.51 goals per 90 minutes is exactly his average at Liverpool FC. 0.23 assists is even above average and close to his all-time high with the Reds (0.26 in the 2016-17 season).

But: According to the data from Opta as badly involved as at FC Bayern and nowhere did he play fewer passes per 90 minutes: an average of around seven fewer than when he was at Liverpool. Despite a football designed for ball possession, almost all values ​​have deteriorated.

Especially after his injury, Mané looked like he was completely off track. Hardly any speed in his actions, hardly any move to the goal, hardly any successful dribbling – he was no longer a danger. Even if his first half of the season wasn’t outstanding, he could at least show there what he’s capable of.

It is significant that Sané is said to have gotten upset about one of those situations in which Mané went deep instead of actively offering himself. The processes are not right, the 31-year-old seems like a foreign body and often makes wrong decisions. Uncharacteristic of him.

FC Bayern Munich: Did you even have a concrete idea with Sadio Mané?

And yet not everything is due to him alone. After all, FC Bayern signed Mané and must have had an idea in mind about the role the superstar can and should play – right? You can question that after almost a whole season.

Mané was a response to the departure of Robert Lewandowski. He completed 19 games with Munich as a centre-forward. But it should have been clear to Bayern that he’s not the type of player who can make up for the Polish’s lacking qualities. The wishful thinking might have been that he gives the offensive some stability and manages to make Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman stronger with his consistency. But he is far too similar to his colleagues for that.

That’s why he switched back to the left wing for 12 games – where Bayern were already well occupied. According to media reports, top earners with more than 20 million euros gross salary per year, 32 million euros transfer fee and a nine-man problem in the squad that could hardly be bigger – Mané turns out to be a big flop.

Bayern itself can only do one thing in the summer: hope that you can sell it for part of the price paid. Because the sporting development and his difficult position within the team are one side of the coin. The other is that there is no meaningful role for him within the squad.

This is where the sporting management of Bayern comes into play. Getting Mané may have been promising. But was it just this appeal that ultimately led to Bayern signing him? What was the idea behind it? How should he ever close the Lewandowski hole with his profile? Because of these open questions, Mané has quickly become one of the biggest flops in recent club history.

FC Bayern Munich: Sadio Mané is the symptom of a poorly thought-out transfer policy

The market for strikers was difficult, Bayern argued again and again. At the same time they say that you have to be creative. The purchase of a then 30-year-old was anything but creative. Especially since he brought more problems than solutions.

Mané is another wrong decision by the sporting management, which, among other things, extended the contract of an inconsistent Serge Gnabrys on generous terms and failed to adequately close the gaps left by the changes of key players in the past.

In addition to Lewandowski, this affects Thiago and also Arjen Robben or Franck Ribéry. As broad as the squad is on paper, it is just as one-dimensional when it comes to different types of players.

Mané is just another symptom. Albeit a very expensive one.

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