Why has Sadio Mané struggled at Bayern Munich?

It took until the 69th minute of Sunday's match with bottom club Hertha Berlin for the Bundesliga's most prolific team, Bayern Munich, to break the deadlock. 

While many expected the usual convincing win for the defending champions, the contest proved a little tougher, for both Bayern and Sadio Mané. It was yet another opportunity for the big summer signing from Liverpool to prove that he could add value to his team, but he was taken off in the 61st minute. He had only three shots, all off-target headers, and no goals to show for it, despite one effort being a big chance (an expected goal total of over 0.38).

It was a performance that summed up his debut season in Bavaria, especially, but not exclusively, after coming back from injury post World Cup. After he was withdrawn against Hertha, Bayern found their rhythm and scored twice to regain their place at the top of the table.

Strongest as a second striker

Over the season, Mané's role has changed from being used more as a second striker in the half-spaces (the area between the center of the pitch and the wing), to playing more as a typical winger or as the main central striker.

His best performances came at the start of the season, when he was being used as a second striker in a 4-box-2 formation under Julian Nagelsmann. This role allowed him to attack the space behind his opponent's last line of defense from a more central starting point, a good fit with his directness and dynamic ability.

This worked because Mané wasn't the focal point of the players around him. Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller, for example, could react to and complement his movements naturally. As a result, Mané could roam around freely and position himself almost anywhere on the pitch.

A good example of this came in his Bundesliga debut against Eintracht Frankfurt where that freedom saw him have four big chances, five shots and one goal. Indeed, in his first five matches, he had nine big chances, and more than half of his shots (20 shots, 57%) were on target.

Despite this working well for Mané personally, Nagelsmann changed Bayern's system as they couldn't break down teams that used lower blocks (sitting deep, near to their own goal). This led to Bayern playing with a more traditional central striker in Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, which forced Mané onto the left wing.

Bayern struggling to play to Mané strengths

One of the main issues that arose from the change of his position is that he does not get this freedom of movement while stuck on the the wing. His strengths lie away from dribbling, yet he is being forced into 1-v-1's where this is needed and therefore is struggling. From Bayern changing his position on Matchday 7, up until his injury on Matchday 14, the team created six big chances for Mané,  who had 21 shots. But only 38% were on target.

The fact that Mané has struggled out wide doesn't come as a surprise. His role in his years at Liverpool was closer to his involvement in the first five matches this season than what has happened since. In Jurgen Klopp's 4-3-3, Liverpool's wingers were used more centrally and their main role was not to provide width but to create goal-scoring threat from the half-spaces, attack the depth and to roam around more freely. As such, he had far more touches in this area at his former club.

How could Thomas Tuchel change this?

In the last three matches, new Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel has implemented a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation and Mané has been used both as a No. 9 and as a winger. In these games, he had four big chances and six shots, but only a third of them were on target. While he's had more freedom in these roles and scored a goal, these numbers suggest that neither is his best.

For Mané to rediscover his form, Bayern need to find a setup that suits his playing characteristics and movement patterns within the half-spaces. Whether they can do this will depend upon the profile of the player they are reportedly looking to sign for the No. 9 role in the summer. 

Bayern will need to ask themselves if it makes sense to find a striker who will fit with Mané, such as Harry Kane, or to cut their losses by bringing in someone like Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.