Episode 123 - We saw the future of Arsenal's best Champions League lineup + Are Spain and Barcelona destroying Lamine Yamal?

On this episode, Patrick and Ted open with the Manchester Derby as City defeat United 3–0, but who should really be worried? Jeremy Doku delivers his best performance, yet City’s problems remain while United’s defensive structure continues to collapse. They then move on to Juventus’ 4–3 win over Inter in a Serie A thriller, Arsenal’s more direct style with Zubimendi, Eze, and Gyökeres, and Aston Villa’s struggles under Unai Emery. The conversation shifts to the importance of set pieces, how clubs train them, and how to get coaches to buy in. Finally, Hansi Flick warns about overplaying Lamine Yamal, the need to protect young players, and bold ideas for football’s rules and competitions close out the episode. 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 00:43 - Welcoming Ted & CL week buzz 01:27 - Early season uncertainty 02:35 - Man City 3–0 United recap 03:25 - Doku’s best game 03:59 - United’s attack better, defense shaky 04:55 - Tactical holes & rebuild timeline 05:22 - Media noise & overreactions 05:30 - Amorim’s issues & first goal breakdown 07:48 - United’s resilience vs. tactical flaws 08:42 - Over-spending, poor recruitment, and limited options 09:57 - Glasner & United’s coaching futures 10:37 - City let United have the ball — tactical choice or necessity? 11:38 - Doku & Foden inverted roles 12:31 - Midfield fragility, CL test ahead 12:47 - Haaland dependence & Arsenal clash 13:56 - Juventus vs Inter chaos 14:29 - surprisingly low xG 14:58 - Serie A: set pieces & bangers 15:32 - Juve’s compact shape vs Inter shot selection 16:33 - Çalhanoğlu punishes space 16:41 - Juve “evil” football 17:24 - Tactical adaptations & long shots 17:51 - Long throws trend in PL 18:19 - Elite shooters finding space 19:22 - Arsenal’s new directness 20:00 - Calafiori–Eze–Gyökeres link-up 20:37 - Arsenal’s best transition lineup? 21:16 - Zubimendi brace 21:37 - Aston Villa struggles 22:03 - Ted never believed in Emery 22:39 - Poor attack, dreadful start 23:07 - Bad xG, no goals scored 23:51 - Everton away embarrassment 24:37 - Injuries & signings (Sancho, Elliott) 25:29 - Big spend, poor squad build 26:19 - Emery’s 3rd season curse 27:21 - Midland’s preview curse 27:50 - How Analytics meets set-piece coaching 28:55 - How analysts get buy-in at clubs 29:45 - Recruitment & set piece work 30:39 - Coaches resisting change 31:37 - Brentford examples & connecting credibility dots 33:24 - Training time needed 33:51 - Goalkeeper vision blockers 35:26 - Coaching salaries & value 36:02 - Early adopters sustain edges 36:54 - NFL-style adaptations 38:22 - Isolating weak defenders 38:35 - Garnacho’s long throw lapse 39:38 - Set-piece pioneers 40:21 - Sir Alex Ferguson’s late-career set-piece shift 42:23 - Lower leagues ripe for set-piece edge 43:36 - Player data & career control (teaser) 44:22 - Flick warns on Yamal workload 45:04 - Club vs international risk 46:59 - Young players’ fragility 47:58 - Fabregas & Wilshere comparisons 48:52 - Spain & Barca overplay their stars 49:36 - Hazard, Sterling early peaks 50:25 - Protecting young talent 50:36 - Patreon coming soon! 52:17 - B-roll: lowbrow YouTube football 53:03 - Set-piece arms race 53:20 - Are set pieces a problem? Tony Pulis/Stoke era memories 54:10 - Rule changes: penalties, throw-ins, time wasting 55:16 - American vs. European attitudes to rule changes 56:15 - Trialing rule changes in the Netherlands 57:35 - Why fans resist big shifts 59:18 - Penalty arcs & alternative spots 01:00:15 - UEFA-wide knockout tournament