The bitter DFB career of Leroy Sané
Especially when it comes to the German football national team, Leroy Sané has yet to fully show his immense potential. His DFB record is disappointing, but he could get a chance to make amends this Friday: in the EURO 2020 quarter-final against Spain.
Dark clouds are gathering ominously over the DFB headquarters in Herzogenaurach. It's not raining, but the weather app predicts rain for the evening. A thunderstorm is still lurking in the air. Yet the older man at the barricades outside the Media Center is undeterred. He wears a 2014 Germany jersey and is hunting for autographs - even though there's no chance here. It was supposed to be Thomas Mueller, but it's Leroy Sané who shows up for the press conference. He'd take that too, he says.
Inside, Sané is at the disposal of the journalists and journalists. And it gets underway right away. Yesterday, Joshua Kimmich and David Raum were there. The latter had already made a special move, the cross to Niclas Füllkrug for the late equalizer against Switzerland. Sané also hopes to get his tournament moment soon. "That's my job, which I also want to fulfill", says the 28-year-old Bayern star. Best of all, it could happen on Friday against Spain (6pm/ARD, MagentaTV and in the ntv.de-Live Ticker), in the home EURO 2020 quarter-final.
This would be a special moment in multiple ways. Earlier, on Facebook, one could indicate a relationship status as "it's complicated". That describes the combination of Leroy Sané and major tournaments with the German football national team quite well. It's hard to believe: For such a talented offensive player who has generated a total transfer fee of 101 million Euros, only one assist has been achieved at a major tournament so far.
Low ignores and despairing
At the EURO 2016, the then 20-year-old Sané only got a brief appearance in the 0:1 semi-final against France. The game was already decided, his influence was negligible. The same was the case at the Confederations Cup victory a year later. When the DFB team won their last title, Sané shines with absence. He had to withdraw at short notice due to a nasal operation.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Sané did not even travel with the DFB team to the quarters in Watutinki, but stayed in Germany instead. National coach Low left the promising winger unexpectedly at home, taking instead the then Leverkusen player Julian Brandt instead. Sané had been a mainstay in the season with Manchester City and had taken the next step under trainer guru Pep Guardiola, becoming more consistent.
Why Low left him at home back then was never really clarified. Sané would have filled a gap in the squad that Low had complained about two years earlier: A tempo dribbler who quickly and penetratingly over the wings searches for the one-on-one. Some speculated at the time that it was due to domestic politics - Low took Brandt instead, whom he had left at home two years earlier. However, there were also doubts about Sané's supposed lack of attitude and body language.
At the 2021 European Championship, Sané was finally back in action. The previous year, during the first Corona summer, he had transferred from England to FC Bayern, recovering from a cruciate ligament tear during that time. His first EM start was in the third group game against Hungary, where he was supposed to replace the injured Thomas Müller. He disappointed, even causing Bundestrainer Joachim Loew to curse at him loudly. Nevertheless, the German team managed a 2:2 and a place in the round of 16. There, they lost 0:1 against England.
And Sané's story at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was also quickly told. He missed the 1:2 defeat against Japan due to knee problems. In the second game against Spain, the attacker was substituted on at the same time as super sub Niclas Füllkrug, but it was the latter who scored, not Sané. He got a 90-minute appearance in the last group game against Costa Rica. Notably, the German team's morale took a hit despite the win.
Starting lineup could reveal the plan
And this time? Will the Home EM 2024 be his tournament? Sané was one of only two players whom the coach had given a special role during the March friendlies. He would not give up on Sané, Nagelsmann had said three months ago. He often emphasized the special bond between them. They both knew each other from club days. Nagelsmann also knew that it was not clear which Sané he would get this time: the strong one from the first half of the season, who could be a difference-maker, from FC Bayern, or the unstable one from the second half.
The winger had been working on a pelvic bone injury in the past weeks and months. It was a nasty injury, as Sané also explained at the press conference, because you can't really protect that area and value it less. He often felt good before games, but afterwards, it started to hurt again. Sometimes it took "five, six days" to get better, he said. But he had mostly recovered. It was not completely gone, he explained, but he no longer had any pain. "That's the positive."
So far, it has not been Sané's tournament, and no one was leaning out of the window for him. The Bayern star got playing time in the three group games, but could not leave a lasting impression. In the round of 16 against Denmark, he started unexpectedly for Florian Wirtz. Nagelsmann hoped for something that the German team had lacked in the end: more depth, more tempo, more runs behind the opposing defense line. That worked out fairly well. Sané showed commitment, was not afraid of a sprint, whether offensively or defensively. However, his lack of game practice was noticeable, especially in the first half: sometimes he started too early, sometimes too late.
Does he start against Spain as well? He doesn't know yet, says Sane. Against Denmark, he only found out on the match day. "It was good for me again to have a longer playing time. It's been a while." In Nagelsmann's system, he is the fourth force for the three places in the offensive midfield, alongside Bessamer Captain Ilkay Gündogan and the magicians Jamal Musiala and Wirtz. A Sane in the starting lineup could also be a hint as to what the national team trainer plans against Spain: fast and direct (Sane) or a lot of ball possession (Wirtz)?
For Sane, however, a decisive goal, a brilliant assist against a big opponent, against whom the German team last won a mandatory game in 1988, that would certainly be a good opportunity to finally have a tournament moment. Then there will surely be more autograph hunters in front of the DFB headquarters.
Leroy Sane is hopeful to get his tournament moment in the EURO 2020 quarter-final against Spain, where he could potentially make amends for his disappointing DFB record. Julian Nagelsmann, his coach at Bayern Munich, has expressed his continued faith in Sane and their close bond, suggesting that he could be a crucial part of Germany's plan against Spain.
