Manchester City continued to march towards their second consecutive Premier League title with yet another drubbing of West Ham at the London Stadium.
West Ham supporters will be growing sick of the sight of Manchester City after the visitors inflicted their third straight victory over them by a winning margin of at least four goals.
The scoreline did flatter the visitors, as Pep Guardiola admitted in his post-match press conference, but take nothing away from City – this was a devastatingly clinical performance from a side who don’t thump teams by accident or via a helping hand from lady luck.
Leroy Sane has endured a peculiar opening to the campaign but he reminded the footballing world of his enormous ability by notching a brace on Saturday afternoon, and BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks was eager to lavish praise on the German prodigy in his team of the week column.
‘This kid really is a bit special. He sometimes doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves due to the occasional petulance.
‘However you must remember the German is still only 22 and has a lot of growing up to do and his best football is still ahead of him. Any player who can sit two defenders on their backsides in their own six-yard box and then put the ball in the back of the net as he did against West Ham gets in my team of the week.’
While Crooks is absolutely right to hail Sane’s performance against West Ham, his suggestion that the wing-wizard is culpable of showing petulance is yet another unwelcome endorsement of a growing myth which has been blown out of proportion this season.
Toni Kroos’ summer suggestion that Sane’s body language exudes a poor level of professionalism gave birth to this narrative, which is supported by speculation of what goes on behind the scenes rather than tangible evidence which is recognisable in the public eye.
When Pep Guardiola dropped Sane for the visit of Newcastle United earlier this season Sane responded with utmost professionalism. Signs of petulance and arrogance were absent, yet the myth of Sane’s supposed attitude problem persists.
Further performances emulating the quality he showcased against West Ham will serve to delegitimise the myth, but it may take some time for him to alter common perception – perhaps a Ross Barkley style tattoo removal would aid his cause.
But either way there’s no question that Sane is a special talent with a huge role to play at Man City, and a rocky six-month period for the 22-year-old, relative to the smooth ride to the top which preceded his recent problems, should not serve to tarnish what has been an electric start to his career in English football on the whole.
Sane is an incredibly special talent, regardless of how regularly or irregularly he sweeps the plaudits in the British media, and Crooks is right to recognise that.
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