Not only are Bayern Munich's Champions League hopes hanging by a thread after their 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday night, but it has since been revealed that tensions were running high in the team dressing room after the defeat at The Etihad.
While you can expect that tempers may flare on the back of such a disastrous result, a physical altercation between teammates is certainly a rarity at the top level.
It has been widely reported that Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane were involved in a bust-up after the City game, with the Senegal international apparently striking his teammate after the two became embroiled in an argument.
❗ There was a big bust-up between Sadio Mané and Leroy Sané last night. Both had an argument on the pitch. After the final whistle, Mané complained about how Sané spoke to him on the pitch. Suddenly the Senegalese attacked Sané and hit him in the face (on the lip) [@BILD] pic.twitter.com/xnnPa0kKi6
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 12, 2023
Leroy Sané hid his lower lip from the cameras when arriving back in Munich today [📸 @SkySportDE] pic.twitter.com/ZO0Ffj6KfK
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) April 12, 2023
Apparently, he was unhappy with the way Sane had spoken to him on the pitch during the game.
The incident is sure to become a major talking point among Bayern fans, especially considering the involvement of Mane. The forward has hardly set the world alight since joining from Liverpool last summer, struggling to due to injuries and a lack of form. Many of the club's supporters are already growing tired of his performances.
In saying that, a reaction such as this seems out of character for the 31-year old, who rarely courted controversy during his eight years in the Premier League with Southampton and Liverpool.
The incident behind Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane bust-up
It is clear that Sadio Mane must have been furious over the way Leroy Sane spoke to him during the game, with the passage of play that resulted in their dispute being a fairly innocuous one.
In the 83rd minute with Bayern already trailing 3-0, Sane got on possession just inside the Bayern half and attempted to launch an attack.
Standing in the centre circle, Mane went to make a run in behind, the type of which were his trademark at Liverpool.
However, Sane assumed that his teammate would drop short. He played a different pass as a result, which was easily intercepted by Nathan Ake.
The whole things seemed like a standard mixup between two teammates, although you would probably say Sane deserved more of the blame for the breakdown of the attack. After all, Kingsley Coman was already dropping short for a pass and it would have made no sense for Mane to do the same.
Despite this, it was clear that the German international exchanged a few words with the 31-year old as a result.
It is likely that this incident was a result of a building tension between the pair, with some pointing out that Sane had consistently chosen not to play simple passes to Mane during Bundesliga fixtures.
Considering that Thomas Tuchel has only been in the job for a matter of weeks and results have been poor since his appointment, this is the last thing he needs at the moment.
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