# Episode 218 - Champions League Takeaways: Arsenal Have a Gyökeres Problem

An episode of [The Transfer Flow Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1756763626), 10 Sep 2026, 46 min.

Audio: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VI8148260815.mp3

The Champions League is back. Patrick and Hayden break down the opening round of the league phase. Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-1, but the performance raises real questions about their defensive cohesion in transition, especially in wide areas. Arsenal cruise past Napoli on over 4 xG, though Viktor Gyokeres' fit up front is still an open question. Liverpool see off a well-organised Atletico Madrid side that caused real problems in behind their back line. Plus: Aston Villa's promising first half against Club Brugge, Manchester City's Erling Haaland problem, and rampant starts from Barcelona and PSG. Sign up for our Premier League Previews: https://www.thetransferflow.com/season-previews Use code "TTF26" for 26% off your first month of Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheTransferFlow Subscribe to our FREE newsletter: https://www.thetransferflow.com/subscribe Join Variance Betting: https://www.thetransferflow.com/upgrade Follow us on our Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1WTKOt7byrELQcGRSzu1Q X: https://x.com/TheTransferFlow Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetransferflow.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetransferflow/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transferflowpodcast Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 00:26 – Real Madrid vs Inter Milan 04:08 – Real Madrid's Wide Defending Problems 14:42 – Arsenal vs Napoli 23:59 – The Gyokeres Question 28:31 – Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid 31:31 – Van Dijk's Decline 37:34 – Quick Hits: Aston Villa, Man City, Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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