Second half “Serge” propels Bayern Munich over FC Köln

Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry was struggling in the first half against FC Köln, but manager Julian Nagelsmann made some adjustments at halftime that brought the best out of the 26-year-old.

With Leroy Sane off to the bench and Jamal Musiala in at left-wing, Gnabry racked up a brace in the second half to push the Bavarians to a 3-2 victory.

“The first half was good too, we just didn’t finish many situations well and then ran into the counterattack. We did better after the break. We then played more on possession and more precisely,” said Gnabry, who has scored four of the eight braces in his career against the Billy Goats. “They seem to suit me somehow.”

While he was happy to help the squad win, Gnabry acknowledged that not everything was great — especially the goals that were conceded.

“That was unnecessary. We have to be careful that we don’t concede such easy goals. Otherwise it will be an easier game for us,” Gnabry said. “Goals like this are never good. We have too many easy ball losses. We weren’t awake, that shouldn’t happen to us.”

Gnabry seems to be freed up on the right side in the second half. He looked more comfortable and did not have to worry about Alphonso Davies bombing up into his area. Perhaps this could be a simple adjustment for Nagelsmann that will unlock the Germany international.

As for how he thinks this season will play out, Gnabry is expecting big things.

“We all have a lot of fun, we learn a lot. Hopefully we will improve even further,” Gnabry said.