Sadio Mané has not yet met the expectations at Bayern. Thomas Tuchel needed the superstar so urgently in the weeks of truth.
When will FC Bayern see Sadio Mané from Liverpool’s heyday? “Soon, I promise you,” Mané answered the question with a smile.
But doubts about the superstar have long since arisen in Munich. Mané switched from the Reds to the record champions in the summer with high expectations – but so far they have not been fulfilled. There is a wide gap between aspiration and reality.
The unfortunate short appearance of the Senegalese in the cup of FC Bayern against SC Freiburg (1: 2) is symbolic of his crisis. Substituted in the 79th minute, Mané was completely up in the air and only attracted attention with two stupid fouls. The second of these led to the crucial penalty kick from a free kick seconds before the end.
Africa’s footballer of the year is still struggling to find form after suffering a serious head injury in November and subsequent surgery that cost him his place at the World Cup. In his joker missions, he often seems like a foreign body in the Bayern game. Mané is still without a goal this year.
Tuchel: “There is no doubt”
Bayern need the offensive player so urgently in the weeks of truth with the Champions League cracker against Manchester City (April 11 and 19). The new coach Thomas Tuchel knows that too, and that’s why he recently tried to be cuddled.
“There is no question that Sadio is an absolute top player,” said Tuchel: “There is no doubt about his quality and what he can bring to us.”
But when? According to Tuchel, a change of club can “always mean that you need time and acclimatize. Things that have been ingrained over the years have to be readjusted. It’s a matter of time.”
Mané in search of himself
Last Sunday, CEO Oliver Kahn also provided an explanation as to why the 32 million purchase in Munich is not going as desired.
At Liverpool, Mané would often have come from the outside positions. In Munich, however, there is “great competition. He doesn’t know that and maybe he’s not used to it,” said Kahn Sky90. That’s why Mané is “still looking for himself” at Bayern Munich.
He needs a goal, said Tuchel, to untie the knot. Mané has scored a total of eleven goals and five assists in his 30 competitive appearances – an expandable quota.
Sport director Hasan Salihamidzic had already suspected last autumn that Mané was “too self-critical” from time to time: “He has to get away from that.”
Then the record champions might experience Liverpool’s Mané again.
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