Gab & Juls Show: Woltemade and Gnabry Exclusive

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0:35hello guys welcome to a special gab and june show for you uh because you had a treat didn't you you travel all the way to germany to meet serge nabry and nick voltamaru on the same day on the same that's right i got to travel to volksburg yeah fascinating if you're into urban planning and designed the whole city built around the Volkswagen, uh, uh, plan. But anyway, I'm not here to talk architecture and urban planning. Right. Uh, yeah, I got to see, I got to spend some time with, uh, with Serge Gnabry, um, which was actually really interesting. Um, we talked about his, uh, kind of development, uh, as a player.

1:15We talked about the fact that, you know, he's filling Jamal Musiala's, uh, big shoes at number 10, which I didn't know this, but he, um, it was funny because I asked him about the difference between playing out wide, which obviously he's done most of his career or indeed upfront versus playing a number 10. And he's like, he's like, well, but you know, I played in central midfield all my life until they moved me when I was about 14 or 15, which I was like, okay. So it was just a reminder that as a footballer, he's obviously started playing when he was tiny and he was, so all his life and he's, 30 now, I think.

1:54So that is a big chunk of your life. For those of us who watch him on television as a pro, we think of him, no, no, you've always been a winger and a striker. So that was interesting. And what about Volta Mata? Because I think for the people who listen to us in the UK, especially who are Premier League fans, it's been quite interesting to see him coming to Newcastle. That was very interesting as well. Nick Volta Mata, I can confirm, he is extremely tall. I don't often look up when I'm interviewing people, but I definitely looked up to him.

2:27We covered a bunch of topics, but one of the things that I didn't know about him was that A, his dad was also a professional footballer, but also he played a ton of handball, team handball, which he said is the second most popular sport in Germany. All those German NBA fans might dispute that, but it's very popular in parts of Germany. And I think at some point, you know, he certainly had the opportunity to pursue a competitive career in that. And he says it really, really helped him. Now, I know not everybody has seen team handball, especially if you're listening from outside Europe. It's that sport where, you know, you can you have to throw the ball into the net.

3:13But there's a goalkeeper there. But you have to kind of do it from there's like a perimeter. You can't go in to score. There's a zone you can't go in to score. That's right. And so it looks like these guys are all just like jumping in the air and throwing in. They're all lanky. It's amazing. I mean, France, obviously, amazing. You know, we won many, many Olympic games and world championships. So we love it in France. I'm just saying I agree with Nick Votemar there on that. But would you agree that that is what helped him become a much better footballer? Definitely. I mean, Pep Guardiola takes a lot of inspiration from handball tactics.

3:44For real. Yeah. 7 v 7. Yeah, no. I promise you. I know. I knew that about the 7 v 7. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he said it wasn't attacking. He said it was an upper body strength thing. Yeah. He says like, I don't. Invited wingers. There's a lot of stuff that you can take from football. He said, I don't look it, but my upper body is very strong. He doesn't look it because he's skinny. It's really skinny. But my upper body is very, very strong. And he kind of said it with like a little bit of pride. And he says, that's from all the work. Yeah. I did. I did in handball. I discovered he played central midfield all his life.

4:18Which I thought was encouraging. And also, he's been tall all his life. Because that was another question I was curious about. You know, with that skill set, right? Normally, most countries, oh, look, let's put the big kid at center back or up front, right? Yeah. But no, he's been tall and he's played central midfield all his life. And it's just only now recently that he's playing further up the pitch. Well, that sounds amazing. Well, let's give it a listen. All right, Serge. I've got to ask this question for the German national team. I'm imagining your generation, you kind of grew up with, you're just kind of getting there and they win a World Cup.

4:56And when you were very, very small, you probably don't remember this, they'd won another World Cup. How do you, I have to ask this, like, here's another chance. Hopefully you'll have another chance in four years, but you know, you never know. Do you feel the weight of those four stars? Only two other countries have four stars or more, as you probably know. Well, Brazil is five. Italy is four. I wouldn't say you feel the weight of it, because I think, logically speaking, every generation is different. We've had great generations with the German teams. and I would just see it as I'm getting older as a very rare opportunity.

5:42So obviously you want to make the best out of it. You go in with so much joy and pre-thinking because it only comes around every four years. So very excited about the World Cup and just hoping for an amazing outcome. And of course, if we could add another star, you know you make history. You know, it changes the way people see you, how the country views you, kind of a hero. If I think about Goethe, Neuer or the people that I know that have become champions, so for sure it's a dream. Is it strange to you that you were watching him on television winning a World Cup and he's still there? With Manu, yes, for sure.

6:25Thomas obviously also just recently left. But the way they've played through their career and for how long they've managed to stay on the top, top level, I think there's only a handful of players who managed to do that. So they're huge credits and very thankful to be playing alongside them. So I went back to get some old quotes that people said about you, people you've worked with from when you were younger, right? and Arsene Wenger saying he can play centrally, he can play wide either side, he can do this, blah, blah, blah. He's talking about 17-year-old you. And I'd say this season, obviously, you're playing centrally in a number 10 role.

7:11Obviously, Jamal Musiala's injury is obviously a big part of the reason why. And I think you're killing it in that role. Can you talk a bit about how it's different changing roles and how when you're number 10, you're in the congestion area with people all around you. When you're wide, you know nobody's going to be coming from that side. Yeah, for sure. It's always difficult to manage, I would say, what system you're playing if you change roles and what the coach demands from you. I think it's obviously a good strength of mine to be able to play different positions. In my youth I've always played in the number 10 or striker role.

7:56I only started playing winger when I was I think about 14, 15 and then ended up staying out there. But yeah, this season I think I'm playing a bit more deep, I'm a bit more interacting with the whole game. whereas before when I was playing for the national team and also sometimes for Bayern I was more than number nine when we didn't have a striker so I managed to stay up top a little bit more and I think it really suits me to be coming like deep to be yeah within the game a lot more I think this is a big reason why it's going so well right now in this role and yeah as I said it's a strength because I can play multiple positions so whenever somewhere is needed like in this case right now where Jamal is out for a long time, I can fill in.

8:44It's an age-old debate with players who are versatile. Some people say it's better for them or sometimes it can be better to say, no, this is my position, you have to build a whole squad around me. Does that make sense to you? It does, it does. I think it's come into discussion a lot of times in the past. If If it's with my agent, with my dad, with people in football, I would also say it's a curse. Because obviously when you're having a momentum in one position and suddenly you have to go somewhere else, you need time to adapt. It's not the same to play on the wing as in to play a number 10 role.

9:24So it definitely is also a curse. I would still say it's more a blessing because it still makes you play more and you can have different strengths in different positions, but I definitely see the debate. For example, like a Ribery, back in the day where I was sure him and Arjen would play only wide, there's no number 10. I heard the stories about Van Gaal trying him in the number 10, he said no, no, no. So yeah, I see both sides. You have two, both with the national team and at Bayern as well, you have two relatively, Well, the national team, Julian is obviously very young still, although he's got a lot of experience.

10:04Vincent Kompany is also a younger type of guy. Just between us, he's done phenomenal. Nobody's listening. Just between us. When he took over that summer, it felt as if a lot of people turned up their noses. This is a guy who's coming from Burnley, obviously tremendous past as a player. He's coming to a club where, you know, what Bayern is like, what people said, so many big players in the media and so on. What did you think? He's obviously passed that test with flying colours, but when you came over, were you a little bit like, okay, this is going to be different? Yeah, you felt straight away that it would be different after the first couple of, I would say, speeches or training sessions.

10:50You could see the fire that he had in him and the motivation to succeed and the clear plan in that way. Obviously I didn't know him as a manager when he was at Burnley, I didn't really watch their games or anything. So it came as a surprise for sure, but as I said within the first couple of days, weeks, you could feel that it's a good energy, he has a clear plan and he's really hungry to make us perform well. Do you think as a manager, not just him, but as manager's authority grows if he proves that he's up to the job he delivers in his first year and then the second year maybe he has more authority, make more demands?

11:33I think for sure it helps when you win because then players listen and be like, OK, he's doing a great job. But I would put it more on the way he carries himself. I think if a manager has a clear way, has a clear, treats everyone the same in that way, has rules, no one can obey them and I think that's a very important part and also why you can see that he's succeeding in that way because no matter what we do, he wants us to be as a team. We as players feel like, okay, we're doing very well, so obviously we adapt and those are the things that he does very good. I want to take it back to the German national team for a minute.

12:14at club level, obviously you're training with the same teammates every day, or four or five times a week. I mean, you all play a lot of games, obviously. When you go to the national team as a coach, it must be, you can't, I know you obviously worked with Nagelsmann before, but you can't have the same, you don't have the same time if you want to tactically, do things have to be, and the players change, because this one might be injured this time. Does the message need to be a little simpler, at least until you get to the tournament, do you find? I wouldn't say simpler, but it needs to be clear.

12:50Clear signals, clear messages always help everyone to understand what's needed, what's expected from them. So I would just make it as clear as I can, no matter how many times we train, how many times we see each other. If there's a clear plan, then we all know what to do. We come here at the end of the day. I would still say that international games are always about a daily performance because obviously you don't train with each other every time, you have new players. It's not really like a system where you're in. So the performance on the day is also a very big factor next to the training and also a good vibe within the team, within the squad.

13:32And I feel like we have that, we're building on more, so it's good, yes. You've already experienced what it's like dominating a tournament with your country at the Olympics. I know it's different. Are there vibes from that that you can take with you or is it just too different from a World Cup? No, every tournament is the same, I think. Just the title or the name of the title changes. You were a player of the tournament, if I'm not mistaken, or a top scorer. Top scorer? Yeah, top scorer. No, I would say just the name of the tournament changes, but things that are expected or very important is that you have a good vibe, that everyone knows their role, that you also have fun together, you enjoy it because at the end of the day, no matter how long, four weeks with each other, so you need to have a good time, you need to understand each other and you need to be, and generally we say you have to pull on the same string, everyone, and if you do those things sometimes I feel like that beats quality because for sure I've been into some games or tournaments where maybe the other team was stronger but our togetherness was a big part and that sometimes makes up more than quality of just a team.

14:46Going back to you, you identified as a talent as a young as a very young player at Stuttgart and obviously then you moved to Arsenal and so on. At club level, you play with somebody who's one of the best strikers in the world, in Harry Kane, who, well, he was at Arsenal too, and then he was sent away, as you probably know. But it felt until he was like 20, 21, he wasn't considered, he wasn't given many opportunities to play. And even then, he was only played really as like a finisher. And then obviously now, as you're seeing, sometimes you talked about dropping off and being more involved. Well, he does that and he's a phenomenal passer as well.

15:31Do you ever wonder about how people evaluate younger players and how sometimes it's difficult to… because today it seems crazy, right? You couldn't notice that Harry Kane can finish the shoot. I get what you mean. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. I get what you mean. At the end of the day, I think if I think about it, also Thomas Müller was a late bloomer. There are some players that are late bloomers, there are some players that are straight away that you see like Jamal when he came up. Even though he was so skinny, he was 16 I think, you could see he comes past players like he's there. But yeah, I remember the Harry story because I was in England too at that time and I remember that he was on loan a couple of times and I was quite surprised that he then broke through.

16:21But obviously from what I know from him now, if he did that before, I don't know how people miss that. It seems like he dropped the ball there. With you, when you look back at your career, I think it's fair to say it hasn't been a constant upwards thing. You've had setbacks, you bounced back. Do you, in your mind, do you have an explanation for why it wasn't continuously upward? Do you think it actually makes you better today, some of the adversity you faced when you were earlier? Character-wise, I think for sure, because always hard times make you a stronger person, when everything doesn't just go your way.

17:01I would say if everything goes your way all the time and if you then have a failure, then it's a very hard setback and you probably don't come back. So I'm very grateful. Obviously, I would have loved to have less injuries. Also, when I was very young at Arsenal, where I played and then I was out for a year. But those things you just can't change. I mean, it's unfortunately not under my control or our control. It's sport. Some are more fortunate, some are not. But no, for sure, character-wise, I'm happy about all the stuff that I went through. And I'm happy to be in a place where I am today. Now you're 30, presumably.

17:38You know, obviously, technology has improved, you're athletic, whatever. Do you feel, compared to say, I think was it 27-18 when you were one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga, if not the top scorer, that Gnabry versus this one? It's been seven years. Do you want to know what's the difference? Yeah. I would just say the thinking, the calmness, the composure. It's a tough one, but also when everyone tells you when you get older you get wiser, you don't believe it when you're young, but when you're older you believe it. So you just have to admit that you probably don't go in as careless, fearless as back in the day with the same energy, which is normal.

18:24I think the game changed a little bit too. Before it was more speed one-on-ones, now I think a little bit more about passes, about the game, about also the team and not just the performance of myself. those are the things that changed but also I think my finishing is still good. One on one is still good but obviously it's a different game. Also the game has changed. Yeah, I'm interested in that when you talk about the one on ones, right? Because it seems like it's such a weapon. If I have a guy, against a team that defends deep, if I have a guy who can beat somebody one on one, I immediately create an overload.

19:02I'm talking about obviously not when you have space, you just knock people past that. Is it just a case that there's maybe a little bit less one-on-one and the ones who can do it, like Lamin-Yamal or whatever, are more prized? Or if you saw Jeremy Doku the other day? Yeah, for sure. For sure. Because obviously if you break a person in a system in that way, there will be a hole somewhere else in that way, if I can describe it like that, because someone else needs to fill in. So for sure if you have a one-on-one player, it's always good to have. But like I said in the previous question, I think back in the day also teams weren't as deep and were defending in a 5-4-1 in that way a lot.

19:42So it is tough to then have a one-on-one if you have three players on your side that all kind of mark you. So yeah, those are the things that change in that way. But for sure a one against one player is always something special because not everyone can do it. Everyone can play a pass maybe, but everyone cannot get past you. And now that you're playing more at number 10, you have fewer opportunities for the one-on-one because if you lose the ball, you lose the ball in the central area. Yeah, for sure. As I said, it's different than when you have the ball in the middle, you get it. There's four or five people around you.

20:18You have to make quick decisions. Probably don't have the time to dribble at someone in that way. And if you play wide, you can have the dribble sometimes, not as often as before, if I say so. But for sure, it also depends on the coach, on what the coach wants, on what plays you have around you, what system you play. So, varieties. But I think at the end of the day, it's a lot about your individual style of play, what you bring to the system and what then shines out. I wrote a comment about this, but late August, it felt to me like there was a lot of negativity around your club because of players who maybe didn't come, because Schumacher being injured, Alphonso Davies being injured, and then you win 16 games in a row.

21:07Is that just football where results just fix everything and people talk? At the end of the day, it's the irony, I think. Because for sure there was negativity, there was a lot of talk that we don't have a strong enough squad, players were injured. But again, it's the irony of life in that way that we then go on and have a crazy run. And now no one talks about us having a small squad or whatever. It brought us together. The momentum grew, you know, you have the first couple of wins and then you feel like, oh, it's really going well, we stick together more and more. So for sure, now there's no more negativity, I guess.

21:48people are quiet and maybe it's in that way if it's a bad beginning if you can say so that it will turn out to be something beautiful and good and i think currently we're on a very good way or run and hopefully we can just continue like this look the economy is a lot right now and if you're a small business owner you probably feel it you can't control interest rates or tariffs but you can control how efficiently your business operates. Automating payroll and HR with Gusto is one of the fastest ways to cut friction and focus on what actually moves the needle. Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses.

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23:58So you can turn that workout up a notch. Good energy in, good energy out. Energy for life. So that was Serge Nabri. Very, very good interview there. Is Nick Votemada coming up as good as this one, or is it even better? Oh, I don't want to say even better, but it was revealing. Like I said, both were... Obviously, when you speak to an older player, he's done a lot more media over the years and stuff like that.

24:29So in different ways, but Votemada, confident, pleasant, smiley, bright young man. Well, let's see. 2022 World Cup. You were not in the team. You were a kid. What do you remember? Would you have believed that you would be here now, 2026? Yeah, difficult question, to be honest. Yeah, of course, it was a dream. And this time I was far away from the national team, from the senior team. So, yeah, it was always a dream. But, yeah, the last year has been really crazy for me. So, yeah, I think I took a good development. the last year and now I'm really happy to be here and I'm really excited for the World Cup.

25:13When you look around, we have an expression sometimes that the weight of a shirt can be heavy. When you look down, you have four stars on your shirt. Brazil has more stars, Italy has as many. Do you feel the weight of that? Well, it's difficult to say in these times now because you can't compare it directly, but in the club I have a lot of pressure. Everywhere we go now, we play every Champions League, we play in Premier League, there's every time pressure, even as a striker, there's more pressure because you always have to score. So, of course, here's a lot of pressure too, because everybody expect that we play a good World Cup and we take some good results, but I think now in this situation where we play, there's always pressure.

26:07So for me it makes no difference to play here or play in the club. There's always pressure, but I like this pressure, it makes fun. And I think it's the best feeling when you feel the pressure is going away because you scored or you win games and stuff. So that's always the aim where you look for it. If we go back a little over a year ago, November 2024, you're at Stuttgart. Nobody was, or maybe not many were expecting that the season would go as well as it did. And now you're in the Germany frame. You've moved on to Newcastle. Is the game becoming easier? You said there's more pressure, but are you feeling more confidence?

26:55Does the game become easier for you in a way? Because at every step you pass this challenge so far. I would say not easier. I think different because now I'm in the position where everybody is expecting goals and good movements and skills and whatever and wins for me. And this time, like one year ago, no one was expecting goals and stuff for me. So now the situation changed a bit, but to be honest, of course, I feel now more confidence because I know I can score goals. I know if I play a good game, then my team is more close to win the game. So, yeah, of course, I'm feeling more confident now than 2024 November.

27:40But, yeah, I don't know. It's difficult to compare because, like, this season went so fast and I make so many experiences. is also now in Premier League every week in Champions League. So I think, hard to say, it's different, but it's really nice, it makes fun. So you mentioned the Premier League, it's a different league, it's a different set-up, different club, you're taking the place of a striker, Isak who moved for a ton of money, and Newcastle also signed Johan Wiesa, but who's not been able to play so far. You weren't expecting to play almost every minute of every game like you've had to do so far, were you?