Julian Nagelsmann hooks Serge Gnabry at halftime for Bayern Munich, downplays Paris drama

Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry was the subject of a light media frenzy — and stern words from club execs — after spending part of the weekend in Paris prior to Tuesday’s game against 1. FC Köln, a 1-1 draw. But Julian Nagelsmann wants the focus now to be on the on-field actions.

“I want to talk about what happens on the pitch, not off it,” Nagelsmann said (via @iMiaSanMia). “I thought we needed to bring in fresh blood at half time, that’s why I subbed him off. It had nothing to do with other things. It was only about what I saw on the pitch.”

But it’s perhaps more than about the individual performance. Gnabry’s second start as a left wing / inside forward has resulted in moments of awkwardness as well as brilliance; against Köln, much more of the former. Still, it was the entire Bayern attack that was firing off the mark in the first half. The introduction of Kingsley Coman also offered a tactical shift — Jamal Musiala moved to Gnabry’s role with a somewhat similar interpretation, while Coman offered a wide option on the right to help stretch the field.

Whatever it was, the changes worked, with the Bavarians putting the visitors under sustained pressure in the second half.

“We set the bar with our second-half performance — that’s how we should be playing over the full 90 minutes,” Nagelsmann said (via FCBayern.com). “If we do that, I’m pretty confident going into the next game on Saturday [against Eintracht Frankfurt].”

Want to hear more about the game? Why not check out our post-game podcast? Chuck’s not worried (yet) but talks us through lineups, Thomas Müller, cohesion, and more. Listen below or directly on Spotify:

As always, we appreciate all your support!