Gnabry's Comeback and Saibari's Pressure at Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich can feel Serge Gnabry getting closer.
The 31-year-old winger has stepped up his comeback under Vincent Kompany and is suddenly back in the conversation just as the Champions League campaign is about to start.
Last week, Gnabry cautiously rejoined parts of team training. This week, he went all in. Full drills, full tempo, sharp in the duels. On the training pitch at least, he looks ready. After an adductor injury that has kept him out since April, that sight alone changes the dynamics of Bayern’s attack.
Gnabry missed the decisive run-in at the end of last season and the World Cup with Germany. Now, according to Bild, he could already be back in the squad for Thursday’s Champions League opener against Bodö/Glimt at the Allianz Arena. A starting spot still seems a step too far, but the door is clearly open.
And that is where Ismael Saibari comes into focus.
Saibari’s shaky start
Bayern paid a reported fee just shy of €55 million including bonuses to bring Saibari from PSV Eindhoven in the summer. Big outlay, big expectations. Kompany has backed him early, too.
The Moroccan started both the 4-1 DFB Cup win over VfL Osnabrück and the goalless draw away to promoted Schalke 04. In both games, he was substituted after roughly half an hour. Not exactly the mark of an untouchable starter.
The Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart painted a different picture for a moment: coming off the bench in the 5-1 win, Saibari delivered two goal involvements and hinted at why Bayern moved for him. Since then, though, the numbers have dried up. No direct goal contribution in the following matches, and with that, the criticism has grown louder.
Dietmar Hamann, former Bayern midfielder and now a Sky pundit, did not hold back. He called Saibari a “wonderful footballer” but then delivered the sting: the attacker is “too slow”. Hamann even compared him unfavourably to Harry Kane, saying Kane is not the quickest and “now his back-up is not the quickest either.”
For Hamann, the debate is also about position and hierarchy. He doubts Saibari’s versatility: while Bayern see him as someone who can cover multiple roles, Hamann insists he can “play exactly one position: that is behind Kane, because out wide he is too slow.” In that No 10 role, the former Bayern man ranks Gnabry clearly higher, calling him “a class better” than the new signing.
Once Gnabry is fully back, that opinion reflects the looming reality for Saibari. The margin for error shrinks. One more sluggish display, and his “regular” spot could be gone.
Familiar referee, familiar memories
While the internal competition heats up, Bayern’s external mission is clear: the Champions League trophy. The new campaign begins on Thursday night in Munich, and it comes with a small omen from last season.
UEFA has appointed Rade Obrenovic to referee the clash with Bodö/Glimt. The Slovenian official has only overseen Bayern once before, but that evening went smoothly for the German champions: a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise that sealed their place in the round of 16.
Obrenovic left his mark on that match. He awarded Bayern two penalties, one converted by Harry Kane and one missed by the England captain, and he sent off Min-Jae Kim for a second yellow card. All of those calls stood up to scrutiny.
Bayern would gladly take the same outcome again: a controlled win, progression set in motion, and this time, perhaps, a fully fit Serge Gnabry stepping back into the spotlight while Ismael Saibari fights to prove he belongs in it.
