Serge Gnabry looks like a different player this season. He is no longer just a stat-padder supreme; his impact is more consistent and less streaky, and he has become a pivotal cog in Bayern Munich’s attacking
unit.
Vincent Kompany has undoubtedly had a massive role in elevating the player’s game. How did it come to this, though? What has changed? How did Gnabry transform into a lethal attacking midfielder option? Is this his best role moving forward?
Let me answer that last question first. YES, IT IS.
Gnabry’s growth and evolution can be viewed through the kaleidoscope of his roles throughout the season. Kompany has been tinkering and making adjustments to his positioning, link-up, and roles in the team, and it all began early in the season in the games against RB Leipzig and Hamburger SV, where he started as a right winger but matured into a half-space wide midfielder as the game progressed.
An idea is born
In this graphic, watch how Gnabry receives the ball in the right half-space, wrong-foots his man brilliantly, and unleashes an absolute rocket. This mirrors the role he played in other games earlier in the season, an area where he excels due to his pace and directness in front of goal.
Gnabry being so good in half-spaces makes him a versatile option up front. Kompany-ball is so fluid in large part due to the constant swapping of positions and overlapping runs made by players to keep the football free-flowing and to constantly provide passing options. The coach started to tinker with the idea of Gnabry embracing the role of a facilitator of the offense while also providing a secondary goal-scoring threat behind the line of attack. In his setup against Eintracht, Kompany plays Gnabry in the center, alongside Luis Díaz and Michael Olise, giving the attacker the option of exploiting both the left and the right half spaces. Gnabry obliges and, in this case, provides a wonderful assist for Díaz’s goal.
The idea blossoms
Kompany then employs a setup with Gnabry as a proper no. 10 against PSG, making him embrace the role of the creative force in the middle, a role the player THRIVED in. One would think he has been an attacking midfielder for years the way he was playing. Gnabry looked in complete control at all times and was an absolute nightmare to control in the middle of the park.
In the above graphic, Gnabry’s vision spots Olise’s run, and he tees up the winger beautifully to fashion a clear-cut goal-scoring opportunity, which results in the subsequent goal, taken brilliantly by Díaz. Notice how seamlessly the players switch positions and make darting runs into the half-spaces. With a deft touch, Gnabry creates a fantastic opportunity, and Bayern’s attackers swarm in, creating a numerical advantage and converting the chance.
Later in the half, Gnabry drifts wide to take over the right half space during a dangerous Bayern counter, with Luis Díaz drifting more centrally. This provides the player ample space to receive the ball in a dangerous area from Díaz, sending in a thunderous strike that hits both goalposts and somehow stays out of goal. Extremely close, extremely unlucky, but a wonderful chance nonetheless.
Playing in a deeper position than his prior roles as a winger or a striker has allowed Gnabry to make runs into the box from behind, allowing him to occupy the perfect positions to receive a pass and fashion a shot on target. Thomas Müller excelled at this, and now Gnabry is doing a brilliant impersonation.
Gnabry’s link-up play at the heart of the attack looked extremely sharp, as can be seen in the following graphic, where he threads Olise through, makes himself available for a return pass, and then spots the run of Kimmich and delivers an absolute peach of a backheel pass to set him up for a wonderful goalscoring opportunity.
License to Raumdeuter
It is Gnabry’s ship now. He is the captain.
And yes, the player has now taken over the position, and it is his to lose. Kompany has given Gnabry the green light to Raumdeuter as he pleases. And he has been doing it masterfully. The attacking midfielder’s pace benefits him in this new responsibility, where he is able to make darting runs through the heart of the defense to also receive passes from teammates.
In the game against Leverkusen, Gnabry started in the heart of the attack, right behind Nicolas Jackson. Here, you can see him score Bayern’s first with an excellent run through the defense to receive a peach of a ball from Tom Bischof. Despite having previously plied his trade as a winger, Gnabry has always been a player who has drifted more centrally to score or fashion chances, and Kompany, realizing this attribute of his, has given him a role that allows him to exploit his skillset with aplomb.
In the next instance, Gnabry displays his well-roundedness at the attacking midfield position by first spotting the run of Lennart Karl and dishing out a pass to the wings, and then immediately drifting wide with a darting run. Bayern Munich’s attacking midfield role is one that carries a lot of responsibility, and Gnabry carries out his duties with precision.
It is not just about the release pass. It is also about analyzing the situation and making a run outward to distract the defense and serve as a decoy. It is also about serving as an additional free passing option for a second goal-scoring opportunity. Gnabry understands what it means to be an attacking midfielder and is now Kompany’s man in the middle.
It will be interesting to see how the situation evolves upon Jamal Musiala’s return, since it is his spot that Gnabry is currently occupying, after all. With Díaz and Olise playing sensational football, there is only room for one attacking midfielder in the lineup, and it may well come down to which player is more in form. This could provide some healthy competition for the attacking midfield position and see Gnabry and Musiala battle it out for the minutes.
Or one of them could come in as a super-sub. Gnabry might even push Musiala out wide the way he’s been playing. Okay, maybe that’s a bit far-fetched. But despite Musiala’s undeniable talent and stronghold on the no. 10 position, it’s time to give credit where credit is due. Gnabry has made the position his to lose.
And Kompany might soon face a selection headache.
