Former Bayern Munich player Michael Ballack says Leroy Sané has to work on his body language

Bayern Munich just bagged another victory against Wolfsburg on match day two of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season. Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen, right?

Well, not quite. The Abendzeitung reports that the former Bayern Munich midfielder and former captain of the German national team was not all that happy with Leroy Sané’s body language. According to Michael Ballack, Leroy Sané “must continue to work on his charisma on the pitch.”

“At times, he’s a bit moody with his body language. He doesn’t have to be; he cannot be [like that] if he wants to be an absolute world-class player,” stated Ballack after the Wolfsburg game. He went on to say that he believes the 26-year-old has “room for improvement” to take advantage of his full potential.

Sané was subbed in for the entire second half against Wolfsburg and showed much commitment with quick one-twos, fine passes, and dangerous shots on target. In the prior games at the season opener against Eintracht Frankfurt and the Supercup bout against RB Leipzig, coach Julian Nagelsmann subbed in Sané as a joker.

“When one is blessed with so much talent, it is always unfortunate when you don’t pull it off”, Ballack said but he is “confident that [Sané] will also have a place in the Starting XI of the Bayern squad, permanently,” if he uses his opportunities.

Let me say it right off the bat: Body language matters as the various nonverbal signals do communicate feelings and intentions. Leroy Sané who was recently linked to a highly doubtful Manchester United move has often been criticized for his lackluster and unenthusiastic expressions and gestures. Though his performances have seen an uptick in recent games, Sané remains a player who lacks consistency. As a Bayern Munich player, you know that you are always in the public’s eye. If how you work and present yourself just keeps on feeding the oftentimes negative media, it could lead to a vicious cycle where your own frustration keeps growing because you feel that you cannot meet expectations. The already big target on your back will get even bigger and many players crumble under that immense pressure.

Sané is an amazing player. If his true potential can be reached, he can become one of Europe’s finest players. However, posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures could be improved as they go hand-in-hand with how he wants to be perceived. If his performances remain shaky, one cannot say that Sané truly played up to his potential. If no enthusiasm is shown, it will just add fuel to the fire as seen last year when the Bayern supporters booed him. We do not need another Joshua Kimmich or Thomas Müller who are quite vocal. These characteristics may not even be in Sané’s nature. Nevertheless, one should not appear as if there is zero desire to be on the pitch. Let’s hope that Leroy Sané will find his happily ever after in Bavaria.

What are your thoughts on Sané?