15 goals in 19 international matches: Only the legendary Gerd Müller had a better record with the Germany national team than Serge Gnabry's current tally. The 25-year-old attacker spoke to DFB.de ahead of the World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia about his impressive goal return, Germany's defensive performance and the upcoming opposition.
DFB.de: You were the match-winner with your goal in Bucharest. In the end, was it a feeling of relief at full time or frustration that it wasn't more comfortable?
Serge Gnabry: A little of both. Of course, the happiness of victory outweighs the frustration because in the end it's three points in the World Cup qualifiers. But we have to be critical of ourselves in that we should have put the game beyond doubt earlier, especially in the second half. That would have given us a more relaxed ending to the game, but we were a little bit shaky because Romania were trying to put on the pressure. All in all, we're happy with the win, of course.
DFB.de: Last year, the national team were conceding a lot towards the end of matches. Against Iceland and, above all, Romania, they didn't. Do you see progress there?
Gnabry: That's difficult to answer. The golden rule goes: if you're not scoring up front, you'll concede them at the other end, but this time we managed to avoid that. It gives us confidence and a sense of stability for the upcoming games. Not to have seen out the game without conceding, like we did in Romania, is good for the mood and morale of the team. The fact that we didn't concede in Bucharest helps us as we move forward.
DFB.de: In the first two games of the calendar year, not only have Germany not conceded a goal, but they've also received a lot of praise - which is very different to last year. What has changed since then?
Gnabry: Even last year, not everything was as bad as it was made out to be. We were always playing good football. You can't always just get a 5-0 win all the time when the opponent is sitting deep. Everyone plays against Germany with a lot of motivation and ambition. We played well, but didn't always manage to see games out or put them to bed earlier on. If things continue to go the way they are at the moment, obviously we're going to get more praise from the outside again.
DFB.de: 19 international games, 15 goals, and a rate of 0.79 goals per game: Only the legendary Gerd Müller was more prolific than you, with a rate of 1.10 goals per game for Germany. Do statistics like that mean anything to you?
Gnabry: I'm doing my thing, but looking at my goal statistics is a motivation for me. I want to keep this run going. I want to score even more goals and get myself a little closer to a legend like Gerd Müller. When I play for the national team, that's what's expected of me. I have to score the goals when the opportunities arise. The statistics are in the back of my mind, but during the game, the only thing that counts are the three points.
DFB.de: You've spent time with Joachim Löw recently, for the first time since he announced his intention to retire as national coach after the EUROs. How is he in your opinion?
Gnabry: He's as motivated as always. He have us a short explanation of his decision, then it was no longer a topic. He knows that the most important thing is the games we have coming up. We still have the European Championship around the corner. Everything that comes after that will come after.
DFB.de: Numerous players have already announced that they want to give him a worthy farewell gift. Is that also something that's driving you?
Gnabry: We all want that and are giving everything for it. We all know how long he's been in charge and what great successes he's had. With him, the German national team has always been among the best. We want to give him a good parting gift at the EUROs.
DFB.de: Never before has a German national team played against North Macedonia. What do you expect from tonight's first ever game?
Gnabry: We know that the players are technically well trained. We expect them to be orientated at the back and look for the counterattack. That's why we have to create our chances effectively and take advantage of them. We're hoping that we can be in a good position in good time so as to avoid getting into any trouble again at the end. We expect a tough game - we won't underestimate North Macedonia.
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15 goals in 19 international matches: Only the legendary Gerd Müller had a better record with the Germany national team than Serge Gnabry's current tally. The 25-year-old attacker spoke to DFB.de ahead of the World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia about his impressive goal return, Germany's defensive performance and the upcoming opposition.
DFB.de: You were the match-winner with your goal in Bucharest. In the end, was it a feeling of relief at full time or frustration that it wasn't more comfortable?
Serge Gnabry: A little of both. Of course, the happiness of victory outweighs the frustration because in the end it's three points in the World Cup qualifiers. But we have to be critical of ourselves in that we should have put the game beyond doubt earlier, especially in the second half. That would have given us a more relaxed ending to the game, but we were a little bit shaky because Romania were trying to put on the pressure. All in all, we're happy with the win, of course.
DFB.de: Last year, the national team were conceding a lot towards the end of matches. Against Iceland and, above all, Romania, they didn't. Do you see progress there?
Gnabry: That's difficult to answer. The golden rule goes: if you're not scoring up front, you'll concede them at the other end, but this time we managed to avoid that. It gives us confidence and a sense of stability for the upcoming games. Not to have seen out the game without conceding, like we did in Romania, is good for the mood and morale of the team. The fact that we didn't concede in Bucharest helps us as we move forward.
DFB.de: In the first two games of the calendar year, not only have Germany not conceded a goal, but they've also received a lot of praise - which is very different to last year. What has changed since then?
Gnabry: Even last year, not everything was as bad as it was made out to be. We were always playing good football. You can't always just get a 5-0 win all the time when the opponent is sitting deep. Everyone plays against Germany with a lot of motivation and ambition. We played well, but didn't always manage to see games out or put them to bed earlier on. If things continue to go the way they are at the moment, obviously we're going to get more praise from the outside again.
DFB.de: 19 international games, 15 goals, and a rate of 0.79 goals per game: Only the legendary Gerd Müller was more prolific than you, with a rate of 1.10 goals per game for Germany. Do statistics like that mean anything to you?
Gnabry: I'm doing my thing, but looking at my goal statistics is a motivation for me. I want to keep this run going. I want to score even more goals and get myself a little closer to a legend like Gerd Müller. When I play for the national team, that's what's expected of me. I have to score the goals when the opportunities arise. The statistics are in the back of my mind, but during the game, the only thing that counts are the three points.
DFB.de: You've spent time with Joachim Löw recently, for the first time since he announced his intention to retire as national coach after the EUROs. How is he in your opinion?
Gnabry: He's as motivated as always. He have us a short explanation of his decision, then it was no longer a topic. He knows that the most important thing is the games we have coming up. We still have the European Championship around the corner. Everything that comes after that will come after.
DFB.de: Numerous players have already announced that they want to give him a worthy farewell gift. Is that also something that's driving you?
Gnabry: We all want that and are giving everything for it. We all know how long he's been in charge and what great successes he's had. With him, the German national team has always been among the best. We want to give him a good parting gift at the EUROs.
DFB.de: Never before has a German national team played against North Macedonia. What do you expect from tonight's first ever game?
Gnabry: We know that the players are technically well trained. We expect them to be orientated at the back and look for the counterattack. That's why we have to create our chances effectively and take advantage of them. We're hoping that we can be in a good position in good time so as to avoid getting into any trouble again at the end. We expect a tough game - we won't underestimate North Macedonia.
