Kimmich 'was HELD BACK by Bayern teammates from a spat with Tuchel's assistant'

Bayern Munich's players were reportedly forced to hold Joshua Kimmich back from a tunnel spat with Thomas Tuchel's assistant after the team slumped to their third defeat in eight days on Sunday.

Having lost to Bayer Leverkusen in a top-of-the-table clash last Saturday and then been beaten by Lazio in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie four days later, Bayern travelled to VfL Bochum knowing they couldn't afford another slip-up.

However, they suffered a 3-2 loss and had Dayot Upamecano sent off for the second straight match on a disastrous night for Tuchel's men, and things got heated after the final whistle.

According to Bild, Bayern midfielder Kimmich - who had been substituted just after the hour mark - got into an argument with Tuchel's assistant coach Zsolt Low on their way back to the dressing room.

The fiery exchange appeared to be over, but Low then shouted something at Kimmich as he went up the stairs in the tunnel, sparking another confrontation.

At this point, Bayern captain Manuel Neuer and several other team-mates stepped in to prevent things from escalating any further.

Following the incident, Tuchel refused to reveal the exact details of what had happened, but insisted that things had not got out of hand between the pair.

'I know what was going on. This is not for the public,' he told reporters.

'We are in a football locker room. This is a pretty normal occurrence if kept within limits. And it stayed within limits.'

Tuchel's obligatory post-match press conference was cancelled, sparking speculation that his job could be at risk after another disappointing result left his team eight points behind Leverkusen in the Bundesliga standings.

But Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen vowed to stick with Tuchel