İlkay Gündoğan defends Leroy Sané, but admits winger is easily discouraged
· Yahoo Sports
Former German national team midfielder Ilkay Gündogan has played with Leroy Sané for both club and country (Manchester City and Galatasaray) and might even be considered an expert on the former Bayern Munich winger.
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In a recent column for Der Spiegel, Gündogan went to bat for his former teammate (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):
Leroy and I spent a lot of time together. So I can say that I know him well. And that’s why it affects me when I see how critically he’s often viewed in Germany. Even after the 7-1 win against Curaçao, some consider him the loser of the match. Some are even demanding that Julian Nagelsmann drops him from the starting lineup.
I think people don’t understand Leroy. And I think they’re doing him an injustice. Leroy is a polarizing figure. I understand that. But as a player, it’s incredibly difficult to deal with mentally. Leroy often feels like people are just waiting for him to make a mistake. I notice that he isn’t always as mentally free as he needs to be for his style of play. He’s a player who needs room to make mistakes. Only then can he truly flourish. But if he’s constantly worried that the first mistake will immediately trigger criticism, how can Leroy perform consistently? We all need to do more to support him
Gündogan also wrote that he thinks fans do not watch the full game any more and just judge Sané on his highlights — or lack thereof:
The problem with modern football is that fans often don’t watch the entire 90 minutes anymore. Everything boils down to the highlights. As an attacking player like Leroy, you need goals and assists. Otherwise, you’re quickly considered a failure. As teammates, however, we see things completely differently. Take another close look at the game against Curaçao. See how Leroy sprinted back 60 meters to support Joshua Kimmich in defense. That’s what his teammates really pay attention to. Is he helping me? Is he there when we need him? Does his run create space for his teammates?
Ultimately, Leroy, as an attacking player, must also be judged on goals and assists. That’s the nature of the business. Everyone has to accept that. But we footballers also evaluate a player’s work ethic for the team. And that was certainly there against Curaçao
Finally, Gündogan admitted what observers have seen become a problem for Sané in recent years — he is “easily discouraged”:
Leroy has a problem: he gets too easily discouraged by mistakes on the pitch. He’s a very emotional player. I often tell him he needs to work on that. But I hope that people will take a closer look at what Leroy Sané is really like. In my opinion, he can no longer be considered a controversial figure.
Sané has, indeed, become a hot button topic for fans and pundits alike. The attacker will have multiple chances to prove his mettle for Germany during this World Cup, will he be up for the task?
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