Serge Gnabry exuded enormous confidence ahead of the World Cup, having completed what he considers to be a turnaround from “so-so player” to the brilliant attacker he is today.
Gnabry did not make Germany’s World Cup roster after breaking into the squad two years prior.
The gifted offensive midfielder had just finished a loan term at Hoffenheim from Bayern Munich at the time of Russia 2018, but he would quickly become a crucial component for both Die Roten and the national squad.
Germany was eliminated from the World Cup group stage for the third time in four years ago, bringing in a period of transformation that clearly helped Gnabry.
But Gnabry did not always appear to be on the verge of stardom. He failed to live up to early expectations at Arsenal and was sent on loan to West Brom, where manager Tony Pulis concluded the kid was not good enough to play consistently.
Gnabry is unsure how he turned his fortunes around so dramatically, but he is upbeat as Germany prepares to kick off their Qatar 2022 campaign against Japan on Wednesday.
Gnabry’s statement
“I don’t know, at some point, I managed to flip the switch from being a so-so player to becoming the Serge Gnabry that I want to be,” he told reporters at Germany’s training base on Sunday.
“It’s always difficult to really pinpoint what the reasons were. Even if there’s a bit of a low, you keep working hard and maybe, as a player, you really give too much time and thought on why you haven’t scored this, why you haven’t done that.
“But really, when called upon [we need] to delete these negative thoughts, to delete any negativity from our heads and, of course, play well.
“Making good assists and scoring lots of goals in the Bundesliga for Bayern, that has certainly helped and that helps us to approach the coming challenges with a great deal of self-confidence.
“So, I’m absolutely looking forward to the coming games and I hope that I can give my all, just as I have recently in the league.”
Gnabry’s stats so far this season
Gnabry’s form backs up his belief, as the 27-year-old has already contributed to 19 goals (10 scored, nine assists) in all competitions this season, a total only six other players in Europe’s top five leagues can match.