Bayern Munich suffered their fourth Bundesliga defeat of the season against Bochum on Sunday evening, leaving the Rekordmeister eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Substituted just after the hour mark, Joshua Kimmich sat on the bench a disgruntled figure as Bayern fell to a 3-2 defeat at the Ruhrstadion. Post-match, Patrick Strasser reported that there were some angry discussions between Kimmich and Thomas Tuchel’s assistant, Zsolt Lőw, which almost resulted in a scuffle.
Auflösungserscheinungen bei den Bayern:
— Patrick Strasser (@AZ_Strasser) February 18, 2024
Nach Abpfiff der 2:3 gibt es wütende Diskussionen und beinahe ein Handgemenge zwischen Joshua #Kimmich und Co-Trainer Zsolt Löw. Unfassbar. #BOCFCB
Speaking to Sky Germany post match (h/t: iMiaSanMia), Tuchel was quick to downplay the incident.
“I know what was going on, but it’s not something for the public,” said Tuchel. “These are football locker rooms, it’s emotional there. That doesn’t mean anything. The whole thing is a pretty normal incident after a defeat.”
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen added: “Josh must have been pretty upset on the substitutes bench. That’s normal because he always gives his all and wants to win. It was the coach’s decision to sub him off. It’s understandable that Josh is angry.”
Bayern Munich took the lead inside 15 minutes via Joshua Kimmich but goals from Takuma Asano and Kevin Schlotterbeck put Bochum in a 2-1 lead with two goals in six minutes heading into the break.
Dayot Upamecano would then see a second yellow card, conceding a penalty, which Kevin Stöger dispatched to give the hosts a commanding 3-1 lead before a late consolation from Harry Kane.
With upcoming games against RB Leipzig and Freiburg in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich can’t afford to drop any more points and risk falling even further behind Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
