Jamal Musiala has bold ambitions at Bayern Munich this season

Jamal Musiala is prepping to take his driver’s license test in Germany, but what he lacks in experience on the Bavarian motorways, he certainly makes up for in his experience on the football pitch, even at only 18 years of age.

Musiala had a breakthrough season for Bayern Munich last campaign, scoring seven goals and providing one assist across all competitions, and capped it off with his debut for Die Mannschaft at the European Championships this summer.

In a recent interview with Sport1, the midfielder famously nicknamed “Bambi” by teammate Leroy Sane, reflected on what was an incredible season for him and looked forward to this campaign under new manager Julian Nagelsmann. Albeit short, Musiala was able to enjoy a brief holiday after the Euros with Germany, which for him, was the first time he really had to sit back and reflect on last season. “It was all incredible, what I have experienced in the last 18 months. I first really became aware of this when I was on vacation, so I had a little time to think about it,” he said when he was asked about the last 18 months.

While there’s no disguising just how much Hansi Flick did for Bayern, there’s an exciting new chapter beginning with Nagelsmann at the helm. Nagelsmann has a track record for working particularly well with younger players from his time at both RB Leipzig and TSG Hoffenheim, so for a player like Musiala, this is an invigorating prospect. Thus far, Musiala said that he’s enjoyed Nagelsmann’s training sessions; “the training under him is very good. It’s intense and fun. I am sure that I can learn a lot from him.”

Of course, Musiala is among a star-studded cast of attacking players at Bayern, but he’s still eager to make the next step to become a more regular feature. At the rate Bayern players are currently experiencing injuries, Nagelsmann might have to use Musiala quite often, especially with five matches coming in 15 days across all competitions to start the season before the international break. Musiala said he’s more than ready to take that next step. “This season I just want to take the next steps. I want to be an important part of the team and earn a lot of playing time. And of course I want to score goals again and prepare a few more goals,” he explained.

Photo by S. Widmann/Getty Images for FC Bayern

Specifically, Musiala said he really wanted to work on continuing to develop his first touch and his decision making speed in high pressure situations. “I would like to continue working on my first contact, on my speed of action and decision-making under pressure from opponents. Julian Nagelsmann’s training is ideal for this. I’m really looking forward to the new season with him and want to be as successful as possible personally and with the team,” the 18-year-old emphasized.

Musiala isn’t leaving any stone unturned from a training standpoint, either. He has been working closely a lot with neuro athletic trainer Steffen Tepel on his quality of movement and quick decision-making. He’s also setup his own home gym to ensure he can put in the extra work outside of Sabener Strasse. “I wanted to start the new season as prepared as possible. I’ve also set up my own gym. With my coach, I am currently working a lot on my stability, my first contact and my eyes. I want to score goals again this season, but I also want to give more assists and improve my header game. Training with my coach helps me a lot for all of these goals,” he said.

Lastly, Musiala is really looking forward to the start of the Bundesliga season. He reiterated the 10th Meisterschale in a row being Bayern’s number one goal and minimum requirement. “I personally feel good. I’m ready and looking forward to the start. We have the entire team together for almost two weeks now and have been able to practice the first content. My personal and our goal as a team is to win the 10th championship title in a row and break this record. We have a strong team and anything is possible,” he urged.