Kimmich throws shade at Arsenal after UCL Defeat: "It wasn't even football"

Top of the Premier League, perfect in the Champions League, and by all logic, the hottest team in Europe right now.

But Joshua Kimmich, who faced that same Arsenal side on Tuesday night and walked off the Emirates turf defeated, isn't buying the hype.

Bayern's first loss in this season's Champions League clearly stung, and the German midfielder didn't hold back afterwards. In comments that will only fuel Arsenal's fire, Kimmich insisted that Arteta's team isn't the toughest Bayern have faced - and went even further, suggesting that what happened in north London "wasn't football."

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Asked whether Arsenal were Bayern's hardest opponent this season, Kimmich shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. Paris Saint-Germain were the most difficult. Especially because of the way they play," the 30-year-old told TNT Sports.

And he doubled down when explaining why:

"Arsenal are completely different. They rely on set pieces. They like long balls, fighting for second balls. Against PSG, it was a totally different match - there was more football."

Still, despite the subtle jabs, the Bayern star eventually tipped his hat to the Londoners.

"There wasn't a lot of football tonight. It was more about managing the match and the duels. Arsenal did that very well. They deserved to win - and we have to learn from it."

If Kimmich wanted to stir something, he picked the wrong venue. At the Emirates, the "set-piece talk" has become part of the comedy routine. Arteta even joked on Tuesday that he was angry Arsenal didn't score from a set play in the weekend derby against Spurs.

So when Jurrien Timber smashed in the opener against Bayern directly from a corner, it didn't take long for Declan Rice to pick up the thread.

"It's something we've been working on for a while. We know what we have to do, we know our routines," Rice said after the game.

"It's a great way to start a match - especially against Bayern, who are really tough to play against. People can say what they want about us and set pieces - it's a huge strength. And hopefully we'll keep scoring from them."