Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry: "I want to improve every year"
In each of his four Bundesliga seasons so far, Serge Gnabry has hit 10 or more goals. In 2019/20 for Bayern Munich, the Germany international has added assists to his game to become another irreplaceable asset to the league leaders' attack.
However, for the former Arsenal forward, every year is a chance to improve and that's what his goal will always be. Speaking to bundesliga.com, the 24-year-old discusses the feeling of playing in front of no fans, how Bayern have scored more goals than ever before and more...
bundesliga.com: What was the feeling like when you went out to play your first game in the Bundesliga behind closed doors?
Serge Gnabry: "Completely weird. I think it's just the fact that you're used to having so much noise around you, looking around, seeing people, seeing the fans and them cheering you on, they give you that special energy that you have in the game, that adrenaline going. So not having that is really difficult. You can almost say it feels like a friendly game, just because normally your matches are with so many people and now it's just like a training game where you play 11 against 11 with your own team. But obviously knowing it's a Bundesliga game and we have to win. You have to get your focus right, get your attention right, and I think looking back we could have had a higher score, but I'm happy with what came out and for sure that we won."
Watch: Gnabry after Bayern's first game back vs. Union: "We love playing football"
bundesliga.com: What would you say is the part of the game that is most different for you?
Gnabry: "Difficult question, you know! It's definitely strange when you walk out. You don't have the atmosphere coming out, there's no tension in the tunnel or whatever, it's just going straight out. And then you basically hear what everyone's saying. It's a very different game, I would say. Obviously, once the whistle blows, you want to score, you want to do everything that you do in the game anyway, but it's just… I don't know how to really express it. It's different, but once the whistle goes we all want to win, and that's what matters, that's the part where we have to be head screwed on, giving our best, and not letting not having our fans dictate the game."
bundesliga.com: Because of the situation it's quite difficult to predict how the season will go, but what are your thoughts on it?
Gnabry: "I think you just answered it yourself by saying you can't really predict it! Who knows? I think the other teams are struggling with the same problem. Everyone has the same circumstances so we can't complain. But yeah, I think the results might end up becoming different from what they would normally be or what you would usually guess. But as it's always been in football, back in time as well, you couldn't predict any result. Nowadays you can't, and especially with these circumstances you can't."
bundesliga.com: Bayern have been able to continue scoring goals and actually set the record for the most scored after 29 matches in any Bundesliga season with 86. Which of Hansi Flick's tactics do you think especially help you to score more goals?
Gnabry: "Just making sure that we keep being aggressive, you know, keep getting the ball back very early, especially in the opponent's half, and making sure that we play forward as much as we can. I think that's a big factor, and obviously [Robert] Lewandowski is having an amazing run with so many goals, so he's helping us out and we can count on him to score."
bundesliga.com: And has anything changed for you personally with your own game?
Gnabry: "I don't think much has changed. It's just always a motivation to do better than the last year. Still looking back at some games now, I've missed a lot of chances, so in the future, I need to make sure that I use every chance that I have to score a goal or to set up one. And to have my focus on being creative for the team and scoring or assisting."
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