Joshua Kimmich, 30, once again delivered a sharp analysis in the mixed zone after Bayern Munich’s 3–1 defeat to Arsenal. The German midfielder insisted that, in his view, Paris Saint-Germain represented a far more difficult challenge than Arsenal, highlighting the difference in playing styles between the two clubs.
Kimmich: “Arsenal is completely different.”
“No, I don’t think so! PSG were our most complicated opponents, especially because of the way they play football. Arsenal is completely different. They rely heavily on set pieces.”
Kimmich’s statement may come as a surprise the day after Bayern’s defeat, but it says something important: for a player used to Champions League battles, Paris Saint-Germain remains the hardest team to handle. Not because of prestige, but because of their style of play — a football built on control, movement and constant accelerations, difficult to anticipate even for a team as structured as Munich.
By contrasting it with Arsenal’s approach, which the German sees as highly dependent on set pieces, Kimmich highlights a tactical gap. PSG forces you to read the game in real time; Arsenal forces you to be perfectly disciplined on dead-ball situations. This isn’t empty praise: it’s an acknowledgement of what makes Paris so unique at the highest level — and an implicit way of saying that the Gunners won, but not by imposing the toughest kind of challenge
