The good run of form for Bayern Munich continued as the group stages came to an end as the Bavarian club clinched a comfortable 3-0 win against Barcelona in the last group game in the UEFA Champions League to complete a perfect record winning all six of their games. It was a complete performance from Die Roten as they dominated the game from the word go and conceded very few chances. Leroy Sane was one of the key performers for Die Roten as he scored one and took his tally to five goals in the Champions League. Despite a poor start to the season, Sane has raced to 11 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.
Along with Sane’s hard work, Julian Nagelsmann’s tactical and positional tweak has allowed Sane to flourish. After a poor start to the new season, the German winger has been predominantly deployed on the left flank instead of the right side. Things started falling in place for Sane after Julian Nagelsmann decided to move him on the left flank. With this tweak in position, Sane witnessed improvement in his productivity in the final third. Sane provides width on the left flank, but he also has the freedom to come inside and occupy the central position. His direct style of play creates loads of problems for the opposition. By improving his finishing, Sane can end up with more goals than last season.
The above visual shows us his attacking and creativity metrics from the Champions League this season. Sane has attempted 9.364 attacking actions per 90 minutes and has completed 48.15% of these attacking actions. The German has recorded 0.87 goals per 90 minutes and has averaged an xG of 0.39 in his six matches. He has attempted 3.295 shots per game and has been able to keep almost 50% of his shots on target. He also has a very high success rate with the dribbles he has attempted and wins 70% of his dribbles.
Sane has been highly effective from the left flank as the German has provided four assists so far. He has 0.69 assists per 90 minutes and has also completed 87.72% of his passes. All of his passing and progression metrics are significantly better than the median league value for the same stats.
Sane didn’t finish far off from Robert Lewandowski and Sebastian Haller as he registered a combined goal and assist total of nine, which was the third-best tally after the conclusion of the group stages. The German has generated a total expected goal contribution value of 3.250 so far.
Sane has attempted a total of 19 shots on goal and has been able to keep nine of these efforts on target. He has been highly effective in the final third and is also clinical when he gets the ball in the penalty area. He has attempted several shots from both sides of the pitch, as he switches flanks at times and can cut in from the right flank to take a crack on the goal.
Sane has been involved in the build-up play for Bayern and attempted several passes from the left flank. The German has attempted 1.39 crosses per 90 and has a very high xT from the crosses he has played into the penalty area. He has also played several passes from the central part of the field as he also moved to central positions at times.
Even though Sane posted decent numbers in the final third during his debut season in Bavaria, consistency in his performances was missing. The ligament injury had taken a toll on his performances, but the second season is expected to be much better for him. The start of the season has not been the best, but his performances in the Champions League do suggest that better days are ahead for Sane in Munich.
Sane’s consistency has made sure that he is one of the first names on the team sheet for Nagelsmann with the current form he is in. The German winger has been under immense criticism since moving from Manchester City. However, things are on an upward trajectory for Sane, both at the club and country level, as his numbers speak for themselves.
