Thanks to his 11 goals and six assists in the league, Gnabry has helped his current side move nine points ahead of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table. He has also played his part in Bayern’s run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The star winger has found the back of the net three times in six European appearances this campaign and was on the scoresheet when his side thrashed RB Salzburg 7-1 in the second leg of their Round-of-16 encounter.
Throughout his time at Bayern, Gnabry has been used in multiple attacking positions, often in support of the prolific Robert Lewandowski. Gnabry is used primarily as a winger on the right flank. If Salah were to move on, Gnabry would be a like-for-like replacement and have the opportunity to play under fellow countryman Jurgen Klopp.
Gnabry is both fast and strong. He can surge past his opponents when one-on-one, and he can also hold and protect possession away from defenders. His attacking metrics indicate that his performances have been impressive as his stats are significantly higher than the median league value. Gnabry ranks highly for the number of attacking actions he has attempted per 90 minutes and has also been able to complete 50% of his attacking actions. He has taken 9.27 touches in the opposition’s penalty box per 90 minutes and has completed 74% of his dribbles. With 4.09 shots on goal per 90 minutes, Gnabry has generated an average xG of 0.54 in the Champions League.
Because of his ability to use both feet and be effective in a variety of attacking situations, Gnabry has proven to be an extremely versatile attacking player. If his stronger foot is his right, he can also shoot with accuracy and power with his left. The above shot map indicates that the majority of his shots have been from the right flank, and 44% of his shots have been on target. This indicates he is highly effective inside the final third.
Gnabry’s pass map indicates that he loves keeping possession of the ball on the right flank and does play a wide range of passes. He plays passes towards his goal when Bayern are keeping possession of the ball and can also play forward passes along the line to link up with his attacking players. He also links up well with his overlapping full-backs. With Gnabry often carrying possession diagonally into the inside channel, space is created for the relevant full-back to advance and provide quality deliveries. This style of play does match what Jurgen Klopp is currently playing with at Liverpool. Gnabry has also generated a high xT from the crosses he has put into the penalty area.
Gnabry’s previous stint in the Premier League was marred by injuries as he failed to make an impact at Arsenal. But Gnabry has grown into a fine attacker in the Bundesliga and would have a huge impact if he joins Liverpool over the summer.
