Numbers don’t lie: Gnabry on his way back to being a key man for Bayern | OneFootball

Just a few months ago, Serge Gnabry was considered a candidate for sale—a player who had passed his peak in Munich. But instead of closing the chapter at FC Bayern, the attacking player fought his way back in impressive fashion. Today, the 30-year-old is once again one of the most important players in Vincent Kompany’s team and perfectly embodies the transformation of the record champions.

After months of injury worries and form issues, Gnabry made a powerful comeback. Three goals and three assists in the Bundesliga, plus a goal for the German national team against Luxembourg—his return is not just a fleeting moment, but the expression of a profound transformation.

The Kompany Effect: New Role, New Life

Coach Vincent Kompany has played a major role in Gnabry’s renaissance. Due to the long-term absence of Jamal Musiala, the experienced player was given a new task: he moved into the attacking center and interprets the number ten role in his very own way.

Instead of hiding between the lines, Gnabry operates freely, dynamically, and vertically. He often drifts out to the wings, seeks combinations with Harry Kane and Michael Olise, targets the half-spaces—and thus becomes unpredictable once again.

This fluid role fits his game perfectly: speed, dynamism, and goal instinct are once again fully on display. At the same time, Gnabry’s body language has changed. He runs more, presses more aggressively, works defensively—a signal to critics and coach alike.

Gnabry: “Right now, it’s going well”

The data from the experts at Sofascore shows that Gnabry is performing better in almost all relevant attacking categories than in the past two years: more successful dribbles, more goal involvements, higher pass completion rate in the final third.

He may not yet have reached the heights of his legendary sextuple season in 2019/20—nine goals in ten Champions League matches—but the trend is clear: Gnabry is on his way back. Even he remains humble about it:

“That might be a bit of a stretch, but right now, it’s going well,” he said with a smile after the international match against Luxembourg.

For FC Bayern, Gnabry’s development is a gift. The attacker, whose contract runs until 2026, had already been written off internally—but now he could once again recommend himself for a contract extension.

It’s obvious that Kompany has breathed new life into him. But even more important is that Gnabry has worked on himself: fitter, more focused, more determined.

What remains is a remarkable comeback—one that shows that in football, those who are written off often return the loudest.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.