Dembele Wins Ballon d’Or, Arteta Cost Arsenal & Will Florian Wirtz Flop? | It’s Called Soccer EP 52

It’s Episode 52 of It’s Called Soccer, as Taylor Twellman, Theo Walcott, and host Rebecca Lowe dive into another packed week of football 🔥 The show opens with the Ballon d’Or — Ousmane Dembélé’s historic win and why Theo believes he fully deserved it. From there, the panel moves into a wider debate: Lionel Messi as the GOAT. Theo recalls playing against him and explains why he’ll always consider Messi the greatest. Attention then turns to Arsenal vs Manchester City. Theo doesn’t hold back in his mini-rant about Arsenal’s lack of intensity, while also singling out Gabriel Martinelli as the one player who truly changes games with his off-ball running. The crew also tackle whether Liverpool are still genuine title challengers. On City’s style of play, the panel break down their evolution this season — and how Gianluigi Donnarumma’s impact is shaping the conversation. That leads into Liverpool’s frontline: how should Arne Slot balance Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak together? Plus, a debate on whether Florian Wirtz can adapt to the Premier League. Next up: United v Chelsea. Theo shares his concerns about Benjamin Šeško, insisting the system isn’t playing to his strengths. Then it’s Potter and West Ham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices