He is the big absentee in recent months from Bayern Munich. Suffering from various physical problems, Serge Gnabry will have missed 111 days of competition this season, which is equivalent to 20 matches. An important figure for the German winger who will not have had to settle for crumbs when he was fit. Not really performing well at the start of the season when Leroy Sané, Thomas Müller and Kingsley Coman had more protagonism, the Stuttgart native only made 16 appearances (592 minutes of playing time) for 4 goals and 1 goal. Having had little impact in his team's play so far, he has come back well since his return to the field on March 5 against Lazio (3-0). Although he only played a few seconds against the Germans, he took part in the next four games and scored points.
And yet things were going badly for him. Uninspired since Thomas Tuchel took office and often reframed by his distractions off the field, the 28-year-old player was involved in a nighttime scandal with his friends Alphonso Davies and Leon Goretzka. Two weeks before, Thomas Tuchel was ironic about his long absence before the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League lost against Lazio (1-0): “Serge who? Ah Serge Gnabry! I have the impression that he has disappeared since our cup match against Münster. However, since the beginning of March, the former coach of Paris Saint-Germain has remembered the good memories of the German winger. Scorer against Mainz (8-1) and Darmstadt (5-2) in a joker role, he is one of the few good surprises in the disappointment against Heidenheim (2-3) where he provoked Harry Kane's goal with his assist before scoring Munich's second goal.
Serge Gnabry likes to return to London
Regaining his feelings, he expressed his return to good form in recent weeks during an interview for the Bayern Munich website: “I’m getting better and better. I've only been back in team training for a few weeks and I'm obviously happy to have playing time again straight away and to score. My fitness level is generally good, but of course I still need a bit of training to play 90 minutes in matches over several weeks. It's been a difficult season for me so far. I had two injuries in quick succession, which kept me out for a long time. My teammates have also given me fantastic support and positive feedback. Now it’s all about daily work, giving your all in every training session to get even fitter, step by step.” This is good, this Tuesday Serge Gnabry will experience a special match for him.
Trained in Stuttgart then at Arsenal where he was able to improve and make his professional debut, the German winger ultimately had little playing time in England with only 18 appearances for the Gunners for 1 goal and 2 goals. . Ultimately, it was his return to Germany (Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim then Bayern Munich) that allowed him to achieve this status as a flagship player in German football. If everything was not easy, he has good memories:“I can not wait to be there. During the draw, I said this was bound to happen. I am extremely happy to be returning after almost eight years. This period had a huge impact on me. Daring to leave my familiar surroundings at 16 was a huge step, both on a personal and footballing level. Playing for a club like Arsenal was a great privilege at the time. Of course, there were ups and downs, but I enjoyed my time there and met a lot of fantastic people. In the end, it was the right decision.” If he had not had the opportunity to return to the Gunners, his last two trips to London had also been excellent since he had scored 4 goals and 1 gift during a 7-2 victory against Tottenham in October 2019 before playing against Chelsea with a double in February 2020 (3-0). Arsenal have been warned, Serge Gnabry will be a man to watch…
