This Week: The North London Derby

Hello my name’s Jack and welcome to the weekly round-up called This Week on Premier Skills English.

In This Week, we’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

If you are listening to this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify you can also visit the Premier Skills English website at premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org where you’ll be able to download the podcast.

On the Premier Skills English website, you can read the transcript and join the Premier Skills English community by completing a language task in the comments section. This will really help you remember the new words and phrases from the stories from the Premier League.

In today’s podcast, I am going to talk about one of the most exciting fixtures of the season, the North London Derby.

The phrases I am going to talk about are:

• Ahead on goal difference
• A psychological advantage
• To scrape a win
• A beautifully-crafted set-piece
• The rivalry escalated
• Banter and gloating
• To whip someone into shape

Listen out for this vocabulary in the story.

After the story there will be a short language focus and then there will be a language challenge for you to complete and then at the end of the podcast there will be a new football phrase.

But before that, I want to look at last week’s football phrase. If you didn’t hear it last week, here’s one more chance to guess now.

Last week’s football phrase was an easy one. I wanted to know what type of goal Harry Maguire scored in the 150th Anniversary Heritage international friendly match between Scotland and England.

Congratulations to AndreTorre102 from Brazil! Congratulations and welcome to Premier Skills English Ferdhi Nuryana from Indonesia, and also to Eshabeen_Shabeer from India. Congratulations to Viennguyenngo from Viet Nam, Ken from Japan, Alex from Ukraine, El Chueco from Argentina, Satt from Japan and Kareem Zain from Egypt. Congratulations and welcome to Hassan20 from Iran! Well done to Hassan from Turkey, Mobeckham for Turkey and Badger from Indonesia.

You all managed to work out the phrase I was looking for, which was an own goal.

Keep listening till the end of the podcast for a new football phrase.

Now it’s time for the story.

The North London Derby

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are set to play the North London Derby on Sunday. This derby is one of the most fiercely contested derbies in the world. And this week, there’s a lot at stake. Both teams are playing well and have won four of their first five matches of the season and finished the fifth in a draw. Spurs are ahead on goal difference having scored four more goals than Arsenal, but the teams are level on points in 2nd and 4th place. A win on Sunday will give the winning team confidence and that will be a massive psychological advantage.

On Saturday, Spurs hosted Sheffield United. Spurs looked comfortable in possession of the ball but struggled to create opportunities to shoot. The Blades scored first in the 73rd minute and Spurs were in trouble. Then Richarlison was brought on and this seemed to light a fire under the home team. It wasn’t until added time that the Brazilian equalised and then two minutes later set up Kulusevski to scrape the win.

Arsenal travelled to Goodison Park on Sunday to face Everton. The Gunners dominated the midfield but found it hard to get past Everton’s defence. Eventually, Trossard fired in a cracker from a beautifully crafted set-piece and the Gunners got their first victory at Goodison Park in six years.

So both teams are heading into the derby this weekend on the back of good performances. Arsenal will also be extra confident following their performance in the Champions’ League. But it’s the North London Derby so it’s very hard to predict what will happen on Sunday.

The North London Derby is often described as one of the fiercest derbies in the world. Arsenal and Spurs first played each other in 1887, but back then, Arsenal were based in Woolwich which is in the south of the city. Spurs first played on public land in Tottenham Marshes and moved to White Hart Lane in 1899. They were well established in North London when Arsenal moved to Highbury, just four miles from White Hart Lane, in 1913.

After Arsenal moved into Tottenham’s territory, there was always going to be some tension, but in 1919, the rivalry escalated. At the time, neither club was doing that well. Arsenal were in fifth or sixth place in the second division and Spurs finished in 20th in the first division and were set to be relegated to the second division. However, that year, the FA decided to increase the size of the league. Chelsea finished in 19th that year but dodged relegation due to the league expansion. And the other extra place was decided by a vote. Now, Tottenham probably thought that they deserved the place because they were in the league and like Chelsea could stay up, but they had to compete with something like 7 other clubs and in the end, Arsenal got the most votes and were promoted and Spurs were still relegated.

The teams have met 193 times. These matches have finished in 51 draws, 61 Tottenham wins and 81 Arsenal wins. Fans from both sides remember the more dramatic results with joy and disgust. And with such a spirited rivalry, comes banter and gloating that reaches off the pitch and into the community in and around North London where good mannered neighbours become temporary enemies on derby day.

Arsenal fans have a special celebration each year, that it occurs, called St Totteringham's Day. This is the day when the points gap between Arsenal and Spurs in the league means that there is no way that Spurs will finish above Arsenal and Spurs fans celebrate Saint Hotspur day on the 14th April in honour of their famous 3-1 win in the FA Cup in 1991.

For players who dare cross the divide and play for their rivals, derby days are particularly difficult. Sol Campbell moved to Arsenal from Spurs and was forever known as Judas at White Hart Lane.

On Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm the two clubs will meet again at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta’s Arsenal have grown into a formidable force in English football. Spurs have had some difficult times, but their new manager Ange Postecoglou seems to have whipped them into shape and they are playing brilliantly.

When these two clubs meet on Sunday, the rivalry will be as heated as ever and the desires of the managers will reach beyond the local rivalry because this is an opportunity for the club that wins to go ahead in the league.

The phrases I want to talk about from the story are:

• Ahead on goal difference
• A psychological advantage
• To scrape a win
• A beautifully crafted set-piece
• The rivalry escalated
• Banter and gloating
• To whip someone into shape

Ahead on goal difference
If you look at the league tables on the Premier League website, the clubs are listed in order of their position in the league. This is mostly based on the number of points a team has. As well as the number of points that a team has earned, the table also has the number of matches that a team has plates, their wins, draws and losses, the number of goals the team has scored, the number of goals the team has conceded and the team’s goal difference which is the number of goals the team has scored minus the number of goals the team has conceded. Manchester City are topping the league. They have scored 14 goals and conceded 3 so their goal difference is 11. Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal are all equal on points as they have all won 4 matches and drawn once, but Spurs is above Arsenal as they have scored 13 goals and conceded 5 giving them a goal difference of 8 while Arsenal have scored 9 goals and conceded 4 giving them a goal difference of 5.

A psychological advantage
The adjective psychological describes things connected to a person’s mind, to their thoughts, feelings and attitudes. If you are really nervous about something, perhaps about a test you have to do, then you might not do as well on the test because of your nerves. If you are calm and confident before an exam, especially an English speaking exam, you will do better than if you are very nervous. In that way, your thoughts and feelings can give you an advantage or a disadvantage. Whichever team wins the North London Derby will have more confidence in the following matches which is why the win will deliver a psychological advantage.

To scrape a win
Normally, if you scrape something, you drag a piece of metal or other hard material over the surface of something to break off a thin layer. In the winter, I have to scrape the ice off my car’s windscreen before I can drive anywhere. So to scrape has this sense of grinding or breaking a thin layer off something. Another common use in my house describes little injuries that my boys get when they fall over or off something. If you scrape your skin, you might get a little injury. My sons are constantly scraping their knees and elbows. To scrape a win means to win, but by a very small margin. It’s like you only manage to scrape victory. If you manage a decisive win, it’s an easy win; your team was ahead from the start and finished 2 or 3 goals up. But if your team wasn’t dominant in possession and you only just managed to score in the last minutes of the game then your team scraped a win.

A beautifully-crafted set-piece
A set-piece is a series of moves from a corner kick, throw in or free kick that a team practises on the training ground. If set-pieces are well prepared, then they are very difficult to defend against because the ball movement is very fast as players don’t have to think about what they are doing.

If something is crafted, it is created by a craftsperson. A craft is the skills you need to create something. So a carpenter is a craftsperson. They have the skills to create things out of wood. You often hear the phrase arts and crafts and the two activities are very similar. I think all artists need to learn the craft of their discipline, perhaps drawing or painting or writing before they can use their craft to express something through art. On the football pitch, a set-piece that shows skill and football intelligence can be called well crafted.

When Trossard scored for Arsenal, it was from a corner kick that was played short and then passed between players quickly before the ball was set up for Trossard to strike. It was skillful, intelligent and elegant which is what made it a beautifully-crafted set-piece.

The rivalry escalated
I looked at rivalry last week, it’s a strong sense of competition between teams or competitors. The verb to escalate means to increase or become more serious. If something escalates, the level of that thing increases. This is why moving stairs in public buildings are called escalators. They raise people from one level to a higher level. In normal use, the verb to escalate is often used to talk about conflicts and problems. If a problem becomes much more serious, you can say that the problem escalated.

Banter and gloating
The word banter is normally a noun that means a kind of playful verbal attack. When people, usually men, get together, it’s common for them to mock each other and make jokes about each other. Friends tease each other and can sound really cruel, but it’s just a bit of banter. This sort of teasing and joking is particularly common between fans of opposing teams, particularly when there is a strong rivalry.

To gloat means to show that you are pleased or satisfied because you have won something to or towards the people you have beaten. This was my least favourite thing about football when I was a kid. When I was at school, there was a lad in my class who was a huge Liverpool fan and back then, Liverpool were winning everything. Arsenal were doing OK, but if they lost to Liverpool, I knew that the Liverpool fan would be gloating all day or longer if the scoreline was dramatic.

To whip someone into shape
I’m not sure why we say that someone, usually a coach, whips someone into shape. It means to train or coach someone so that they improve quickly. If an athlete is out of shape, they are not as fit as they should be and they might be a bit overweight or not strong enough. A good coach or trainer will help the athlete improve their form so that they are in shape, meaning in a good physical condition. A whip is a leather rope or cord that can be used to hit people. If you flick a whip correctly, the end can move really fast and make a loud cracking noise. This is cracking a whip. Normally, we associate whips with animal trainers. I guess this is where the phrase comes from. So a trainer or coach can whip someone into shape if they help them get into shape quickly.

Today, I’ve spoken about 7 useful phrases. The phrases I have spoken about are:

• Ahead on goal difference
• A psychological advantage
• To scrape a win
• A beautifully-crafted set-piece
• The rivalry escalated
• Banter and gloating
• To whip someone into shape

Listen to the story one more time to hear the phrases in context.

The North London Derby

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are set to play the North London Derby on Sunday. This derby is one of the most fiercely contested derbies in the world. And this week, there’s a lot at stake. Both teams are playing well and have won four of their first five matches of the season and finished the fifth in a draw. Spurs are ahead on goal difference having scored four more goals than Arsenal, but the teams are level on points in 2nd and 4th place. A win on Sunday will give the winning team confidence and that will be a massive psychological advantage.

On Saturday, Spurs hosted Sheffield United. Spurs looked comfortable in possession of the ball but struggled to create opportunities to shoot. The Blades scored first in the 73rd minute and Spurs were in trouble. Then Richarlison was brought on and this seemed to light a fire under the home team. It wasn’t until added time that the Brazilian equalised and then two minutes later set up Kulusevski to scrape the win.

Arsenal travelled to Goodison Park on Sunday to face Everton. The Gunners dominated the midfield but found it hard to get past Everton’s defence. Eventually, Trossard fired in a cracker from a beautifully crafted set-piece and the Gunners got their first victory at Goodison Park in six years.

So both teams are heading into the derby this weekend on the back of good performances. Arsenal will also be extra confident following their performance in the Champions’ League. But it’s the North London Derby so it’s very hard to predict what will happen on Sunday.

The North London Derby is often described as one of the fiercest derbies in the world. Arsenal and Spurs first played each other in 1887, but back then, Arsenal were based in Woolwich which is in the south of the city. Spurs first played on public land in Tottenham Marshes and moved to White Hart Lane in 1899. They were well established in North London when Arsenal moved to Highbury, just four miles from White Hart Lane, in 1913.

After Arsenal moved into Tottenham’s territory, there was always going to be some tension, but in 1919, the rivalry escalated. At the time, neither club was doing that well. Arsenal were in fifth or sixth place in the second division and Spurs finished in 20th in the first division and were set to be relegated to the second division. However, that year, the FA decided to increase the size of the league. Chelsea finished in 19th that year but dodged relegation due to the league expansion. And the other extra place was decided by a vote. Now, Tottenham probably thought that they deserved the place because they were in the league and like Chelsea could stay up, but they had to compete with something like 7 other clubs and in the end, Arsenal got the most votes and were promoted and Spurs were still relegated.

The teams have met 193 times. These matches have finished in 51 draws, 61 Tottenham wins and 81 Arsenal wins. Fans from both sides remember the more dramatic results with joy and disgust. And with such a spirited rivalry, comes banter and gloating that reaches off the pitch and into the community in and around North London where good mannered neighbours become temporary enemies on derby day.

Arsenal fans have a special celebration each year, that it occurs, called St Totteringham's Day. This is the day when the points gap between Arsenal and Spurs in the league means that there is no way that Spurs will finish above Arsenal and Spurs fans celebrate Saint Hotspur day on the 14th April in honour of their famous 3-1 win in the FA Cup in 1991.

For players who dare cross the divide and play for their rivals, derby days are particularly difficult. Sol Campbell moved to Arsenal from Spurs and was forever known as Judas at White Hart Lane.

On Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm the two clubs will meet again at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta’s Arsenal have grown into a formidable force in English football. Spurs have had some difficult times, but their new manager Ange Postecoglou seems to have whipped them into shape and they are playing brilliantly.

When these two clubs meet on Sunday, the rivalry will be as heated as ever and the desires of the managers will reach beyond the local rivalry because this is an opportunity for the club that wins to go ahead in the league.

Language Challenge

Right, now it’s time for you to think about the language again. I have found examples of the words and phrases in news stories online and edited them slightly. I have removed today’s vocabulary so I want you to fill in the gaps with the language from the podcast.

Number 1. Liverpool fans will love Mac Allister and Szoboszlai’s online _________ over shirt printing numbers

Number 2. From Rocky Balboa to Batman, watch your favourite characters got _________________ in the 25 best training montages in movie history

Number 3. The Eagles _________________ against Championship side Stoke City with a scrappy victory, sealed with Jairo Riedewald’s first goal in more than a year.

Number 4. The Australian steered in from a _________________ after the hosts had to weather a first-half storm of pressure from Graham Alexander's men.

Number 5. Andy Murray believes Novak Djokovic created a _________________ for him by winning matches in which he was facing match points.

Number 6. Three wins from the last four games sees Cobblers only outside the top three places on _____________ from Carlisle United.

Number 7. It’s time to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on how Brighton and Palace’s _______________.

Leave your answers to the language challenge in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Football phrase

Now it’s time for this week's football phrase.

This week’s football phrase is **********. In the story, I used the verb form and the noun form. This is what happens to a club if they finish the season in the last three places in the league and this is what Chelsea dodged 104 years ago and what caused the rivalry between Arsenal and Spurs to escalate.

If you know the answer, be sure to leave it in a comment on the page for this podcast on Premier Skills English.

Before I finish, I am going to go through the answers to last week’s language challenge.

Number 1. Gerard Butler, the Paisley born Hollywood action star, was pictured filming himself singing Scotland's national anthem before the 150th Anniversary Heritage international friendly match.

Number 2. In a dramatic high school volleyball match, Springfield defeated Shelbyville in three tightly-contested sets.

Number 3. Farmers from all over the country were galvanised into action by either joining the protest or organising a series of demonstrations.

Number 4. The Premier League might have the Manchester and Merseyside derbies, along with match-ups like Brighton v Crystal Palace, but the EFL has some fierce, fierce rivalries across the board.

Number 5. Don't call her an underdog, this 13-year-old boxer Beth Harris-Smoke is a 'wolf' in the ring.

Number 6. As the Premier League returns this weekend, the flamboyant Frenchman has adopted a characteristically bold new hairstyle.

And that’s all I have time for today. Before I finish, I just wanted to say that I hope you found this podcast useful, and I hope all of you stay fit and healthy and safe.

Bye for now and enjoy your football.