Serge Gnabry is one player for Bayern Munich who has started the 2025/26 campaign off in fine form. Partially due to a number of different injury problems he’s experienced, the German international has struggled to maintain a level of consistency in his performances in recent seasons and has, at times, looked a shade of the player he was in the 2019/20 Sextuple season under Hansi Flick. So far this season, Gnabry has already tallied one goal and three assists from four appearances across all competitions
and has played an integral role in Bayern’s attack, especially given the current injury absence of Jamal Musiala.
Much like several other players in the squad, Gnabry has had to adjust to different tactics and playing styles under several different managers in Kompany, Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, Flick, and Niko Kovac at Bayern, which also been another slight hurdle in gaining consistent minutes and form. Nonetheless, he has been taken the chances he’s been given so far this season and he recently explained what it’s like to play for Kompany in an interview with tz’s Manuel Bonke (via @iMiaSanMia).
“He plays a big role, if not the biggest. In addition to the players, the coach is the most important factor in how things are going. He also takes a lot of blame when success is lacking,” Gnabry enthused about the Beligan manager. Of course, Kompany has come under a bit of criticism for his reluctance to use younger, more fringe players in the squad, but he’s taken it on the chin and there have already been instances in both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal where he’s used both Lennart Karl and Jonah Kusi-Asare, who has since left the club.
Kompany’s coaching staff always plays a big role for making the team tick, as Gnabry explained. “I can only say: The coaching staff is doing a very good job and was a very good choice. It’s fun to come to Säbener Straße every day. Of course, the results have to be there, but the atmosphere is outstanding at the moment,” he explained.
Countless videos have made the rounds on social media showing the beginning of training sessions where Kompany plays upbeat, house style music that has seemed to always set a positive tone for each session, consistent with Gnabry explaining how positive the atmosphere usually is. It’s just one small detail that is an example of what Kompany has come in and done when there were a lot of people that genuinely felt he was not quite ready for the Bayern job when he came in to replace Tuchel.
