Bayern Munich: Marcel Sabitzer eyeing strong second season
The debut season for last summer’s arrivals at Bayern Munich has been challenging. Dayot Upamecano started well, but he had patches of poor runs of form. Omar Richards and Marcel Sabitzer struggled for playing time, while Sven Ulreich didn’t make most of his chances when Manuel Neuer was rested.
The most disappointing signing from 2021 for Die Roten will be Sabitzer. The 27-year-old Austrian was expected to make an instant impact since he is used to playing in the Bundesliga. Moreover, the experienced midfielder also had the advantage of working with Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig for two years.
Instead of hitting the ground running, Sabitzer found it difficult to get on the pitch in numerous games this season. The former Leipzig midfielder ended up making eight starts in the Bundesliga and 17 appearances from the bench. He managed to score only one goal across all competitions.
After the difficult first season, Sabitzer can only do better next season. In the press conference for the Austrian national team (via Kicker), Sabitzer admitted that he would be a much better player for Die Roten next season. The Austrian midfielder believes that he is mentally tougher after going through a difficult season in Bavaria.
"“I’ll believe in my chance from day one and try to do my thing. I believe in my strengths, I haven’t forgotten anything. I’ve shown at the highest level in recent years that I’m a top player and I don’t think I forgot that.”“It’s been tough, but in hindsight it doesn’t hurt because I’m mentally strong enough to pull something positive out of it.”"
The difficult debut season in Bavaria also led to speculation surrounding Sabitzer’s future. The Austrian midfielder was subject to interest from two European clubs, but he eventually decided to stay after having productive talks with the club.
A proper pre-season with the squad will help Marcel Sabitzer to be better prepared for the new campaign. He had missed the entire pre-season training last season as Die Roten reached an agreement with Leipzig for the transfer at the end of the summer window.
Meanwhile, Marcel Sabitzer will be facing more competition in the center of the park. The Bavarian club has already secured the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax. The Dutch midfielder will be replacing Corentin Tolisso in the first-team squad. The French midfielder confirmed his departure from the club as a free agent on Monday.
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Along with signing Gravenberch, Die Roten is also looking to sign Sabitzer’s compatriot Konrad Laimer from Leipzig. Sabitzer will need a good pre-season to make a case for a place in the starting XI in the first competitive game of the season. Good performances for Austria during the ongoing international break will be the ideal way for Sabitzer to go into a pivotal summer. Austria will be playing four games in the Nations League during the next two