Bayern Munich: Leroy Sane making most of positional switch

The good run of form for Bayern Munich continued on Wednesday as the Bavarian club clinched a comfortable 5-0 win against Dynamo Kyiv in the second group game in the Champions League. 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 assisted Serge Gnabry for the team’s fourth goal. The German winger was announced as UEFA’s man of the match against Dynamo Kyiv.

Moreover, Sane was also cheered by the Bavarian faithful, weeks after he was jeered by fans for poor performance during 3-2 win against FC Koln in the Bundesliga. The former Manchester City winger did take this criticism to the chin and bounced back with a series of good performances since the first international break.

Along with Sane’s hardwork, 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. While talking to SportBild this week, Nagelsmann explained the importance of positional change for Sane.

"“This is also a position that suits him very well. Of course, as a coach you always have to make sure the player plays in the position where he feels comfortable and thus brings his potential onto the pitch. Leroy has the qualities to play a major role everywhere.”"

Nagelsmann had previously given no assurance about a fixed position for Sane as he wants his players to be flexible in multiple positions. However, Sane’s good returns from the left flank will certainly see him play regularly in this position for the foreseeable future.

Sane still 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 definitely end up with more goals than last season.

Despite a poor start to the season, Sane has raced to four goals and five assists across all competitions. Since the second week of September, Sane has had three goals and four assists to his name in the last five games. The German winger should be targeting at least 20 goals across all competitions with the way he has found back his rhythm. (Stats courtesy: Whoscored)

Courtesy of Sane’s good form, Nagelsmann has a pleasant selection headache for the wide position on the left flank. Jamal Musiala has also looked good in this position whenever he has got opportunities this season. Kingsley Coman will be available for selection after the international break in October, so there will be three players vying for this position. However, all these three forwards are positionally flexible, which gives Nagelsmann plenty of options for different opposition and game states.