Sadio Mane’s difficult run of form for Bayern Munich continued on Saturday as the German champions suffered a 1-0 defeat at Augsburg to drop to fourth in the Bundesliga.
Mane joined Bayern Munich in a £35.1million agreement from Liverpool this summer. The Senegalese star pulled the curtain down on six trophy-laden seasons at Anfield after making it clear he wanted a new challenge.
The forward got off to a fast start with the Bundesliga giants, scoring four goals in his first four games. However, he has since gone six matches without another strike, including two blanks in the Champions League and Saturday’s defeat at Augsburg.
Bayern have now gone four matches without a win in the Bundesliga in an alarming run of form after a bright start. Mane struggled throughout Saturday’s game and he was substituted off in the 78th minute with his side chasing an equaliser, as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting took his place on the pitch.
It comes just days after Dietmar Hamann, who played for both Bayern and Liverpool, questioned how Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann was deploying the Senegalese forward in his attacking system while claiming that Mane looks “isolated” within the team setup.
Hamann said earlier this week : “He is not integrated. I saw him at Liverpool, where he played through the middle. That is not his position. Now he’s taking that position at FC Bayern as well. He is at his best when he comes from the outside. He doesn’t look happy to me.
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"Other players like Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala or, in defence, Lucas Hernandez, who is injured at the moment, are putting in outstanding performances. Nobody is talking about Mane at the moment. He seems isolated and hardly takes part in the game. FC Bayern has to get a grip on that.”
Bayern boss Nagelsmann reassured this week: "He put in so much for Liverpool. He's a new signing. He just needs to adapt. He was trying. I'm certain he will succeed for us."
The Bavarian club have fared better in European competition so far this season with victories away at Inter and at home to Barcelona in their Champions League group stage, ahead of a double header against Czech club Viktoria Plzen. However, their domestic form continues to be a concern with Saturday’s defeat ramping up the attention on their four-game winless run in the division.
