Mané after UCL win: "I know I can do better."
Bayern's most high-profile signing in nearly a decade seemed a bit reticent in front of the microphones following Tuesday night's Champions' League win.
Bayern newcomer Sadio Mané hasn't scored a league goal since matchday three. In Bayern's most recent league encounter with VfB Stuttgart on matchday six, the Senegalese superstar wasn't even in the starting XI. In last night's 2-0 win against FC Barcelona in the Champions' League, FCB head-coach Julian Nagelsmann gave him 70 minutes on the left-wing behind a double-striker set of Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala.
Mané could not get his name on the scoresheet. In something of a comical scene emblematic of the striker's recent slump, he and Müller ran into one another trying to reach a Musiala through-ball in the 40th minute. Looking a bit embarrassed about the scene, Mané offered a weak grin when speaking to his post-match interviewers.
"The performance of the team was fantastic today," Mané said, "I can do much better. I know that."
Mané insisted that he had no problem playing on the left-wing. Indeed, the 30-year-old has spent a great deal of time there both for previous club Liverpool F.C. and the Senegalese national team. Mané could only emphasize this and say a few words about how he was looking forward to new chances as the season rolled on.
"He is a newcomer who, of course, still has to get into certain grooves," Nagelsmann said of his €32 million acquisition, "We're very happy to have him. He will make his impact on our game."