Bayern Munich skipper Joshua Kimmich has played down Arsenal’s quality, insisting the Premier League leaders are not the most difficult side the German champions have come up against this season.
Kimmich’s remarks followed Bayern’s 3-1 loss to Mikel Arteta’s men in their Champions League clash on Wednesday night — a result that halted the Bundesliga giants’ unbeaten run in the competition.
Arsenal seized control early in the match when Jurrien Timber struck in the 22nd minute, but Bayern responded through 17-year-old Lennart Karl ten minutes later. Substitute appearances from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, however, swung the game firmly back in favour of the hosts as both players scored to secure the victory and extend Arsenal’s lead in the group by three points.
Before travelling to the Emirates Stadium, Bayern had claimed impressive Champions League wins over Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, performances that many believed marked them as one of Europe’s most dominant sides this season.
Yet Kimmich insisted that PSG posed a far sterner test than the Gunners, dismissing Arsenal’s approach as dependent on physicality rather than technical football.
When asked by reporters if Arsenal were the strongest opponents Bayern had faced this campaign, the Germany international replied:
“No, I don’t think so.
“I think PSG were the toughest one, especially the way they play football.
“Arsenal is completely different. They rely on set-pieces. They love to play the long balls, they love to fight for the second balls, it was a completely different game.
“Against PSG, it’s more of a football game. Today, it was not so much about football, it was about game management, it was more about the duels.”
The defeat now sets the stage for Arsenal’s high-stakes Premier League showdown against Chelsea on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. The Blues head into the encounter on the back of a commanding 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, adding further intensity to what is shaping up to be one of the season’s most anticipated fixtures.
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