Berlin, Sept. 19 (BUS): What a difference four weeks can make.
On August 22, Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane was mocked by his team’s fans who were not happy with his performance in the 3-2 win over Cologne, German news agency DPA reported.
On Saturday, the Germany international received applause from Bayern Munich fans after scoring the first goal with a curling free kick and setting up another goal in the 7-0 win over promoted Bochum.
Bild newspaper reported on Sane’s “festive performance” on their website, and the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said his “level continues to rise sharply”.
The 25-year-old is considered one of Germany’s biggest talents, but he hasn’t always shown his class at Bayern following his move in 2020 from Manchester City. Sane was also among Germany’s players who were criticized after their exit from the round of 16 at Euro this summer.
Bayern chiefs and new Germany coach Hansi Flick have reacted angrily to Munich’s mockery for having backed the player, and he’s given a big time since.
Sane scored twice in Germany’s World Cup qualifiers in early September and participated in Munich’s goals in all five matches since the Cologne match, scoring three and making four.
“I can really see his development, he’s incredibly committed. He throws himself into the games,” Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said in a tribute to Sane on Saturday.
“I’ve said on several occasions that we shouldn’t talk too much about him but let him do what he wants.
“Like everyone he needs a good relationship with the coaching staff and the fans to feel good and to attack. I think that’s the case.”
Nagelsmann has moved Sane a bit more into the middle, saying he has “unbelievable quality” there.
Sane himself remained humble even though he beat teammate Robert Lewandowski with the latest Bundesliga record by scoring in 13 consecutive home games.
“I always try to do my best,” he said. “At the moment things are going very well. I just want to keep going.”
“I played well today. Of course, there are still some things I can improve. The coach will talk about them and I will try to implement them in the next few matches.”
He practiced his free kicks after practice and took advantage of a lot of confusion at the Bochum wall to score the opening goal from 25 metres, in the lower right corner.
“I do free kicks a lot,” he said. “Especially before the match, I try to feel them well, from different distances as well.”
“I looked at how the wall was standing. In the end, I just decided to use it. After the opening game, we took off and from then on we started scoring goals.”