Bayern Munich’s Julian Nagelsmann urges Serge Gnabry to hit benchmark performances again

Serge Gnabry may have recently extended his contract with Bayern Munich this summer, but he has a lot to prove to head coach Julian Nagelsmann — like anybody in an attacking group so deep and laden with talent.

But the present injury situation isn’t leaving much wiggle room for selections into the Nagelsmann-Elf, and Gnabry, for his part, is finding his form. Sunday’s outstanding Bundesliga display against SC Freiburg was indicative of the heights he could reach, according to his coach.

He’ll just need to do that more often.

“He was very good on Sunday, that’s his benchmark,” Nagelsmann said in his pre-game press conference ahead of Wednesday’s DFB-Pokal (via @iMiaSanMia). “I think highly of him. He was active except for ten minutes after the break. There’s a lot in him and he’s an important player for us. He will also play tomorrow, hopefully as actively as against Freiburg.”

Making sure all his attackers know that he’s keeping faith is not an easy task for Nagelsmann, but as has been the case with Leroy Sané so far, it’s one he’s handling with aplomb.

For Gnabry, Sunday was a chance to flex his skills in a more familiar right-wing role for him — rather than leading the line alone, or with Sadio Mané as his strike partner. As has been the case for players like Mané, it’s familiarity that Bayern are reaching for as times get tough.

Wednesday against FC Augsburg, Gnabry will get his chance to keep it cooking.

Interested in more Bayern Munich content? Check out our detailed Augsburg preview along with analysis of the win over SC Freiburg and a major question about Robert Lewandowski in the latest episode of our podcast. Listen to it below or on Spotify.

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