Matchweek 26: Storm out of the blocks

Introduction  

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

Rich: Hi there. I’m Rich. We’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

Jack: We want you to use and practise these phrases by interacting with Premier League fans from around the world in our comments section.

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Rich: Don’t forget that we also have our weekly Premier Skills English Podcast that is released every Friday. Every week we help you with some different vocabulary or an aspect of grammar.

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Rich: Let’s start this week’s show by reviewing the Premier League action from Matchweek 26 part one.

Headlines

Jack: Sharp Blades blow Bournemouth away

Rich: Sheffield United have taken the Premier League by storm this season and it continued at the weekend when the Blades beat Bournemouth 2-1 to move up to fifth in the league. The Cherries took an early lead but captain, Billy Sharp equalised in first-half injury-time. It looked like Bournemouth had weathered the storm but John Lundstram’s well-taken goal won the game in the last ten minutes.

Jack: It’s a breeze for Everton against Palace

Rich: Everton stormed out of the blocks against Crystal Palace as they took an early lead through a fantastic volley by Bernard. Palace got back in the game with a Christian Benteke equaliser but the wind was soon taken out of their sails when Richarlison scored a great second. Dominic Calvert-Lewin wrapped it up with Everton’s third near the end.

Jack: Brighton and Watford stay in trouble

Rich: Watford looked like they were heading out of the relegation zone when Abdoulaye Doucare went on a barnstorming run and scored from just outside the penalty area. However, Brighton threw caution to the wind and got a lucky equaliser when Adrian Mariappa blasted the ball into his own net. Watford stay 19th and Brighton 15th.

Jack: And that’s it. Only three Premier League games were played this weekend - Manchester City against West Ham was postponed because of stormy weather and the rest of matchweek 26 will be played this weekend due to the Premier League’s new winter break.

Vocabulary alert!

Jack: In our vocabulary alert, we look at some football English that we used in the headlines.

Rich: Our six phrases this week are all idioms connected to stormy weather and they are: to take something by storm, to weather the storm, to storm out of the blocks, to have the wind taken out of your sails, a barnstorming run and to throw caution to the wind.

Jack: Let’s start by talking about Sheffield United’s win against Bournemouth. We said that Sheffield United have taken the Premier League by storm this season.

Rich: The idiom here is to take something by storm. This idiom means to be very successful at something. It’s especially used when someone or something is new to something.

Jack: Sheffield United got promoted last season and they are fifth - this is very surprising. They have taken the Premier League by storm.

Rich: The next idiom is to weather the storm. We said it looked like Bournemouth had weathered the storm. This idiom means to reach the end of something without too much damage. 

Jack: Sheffield United attacked and attacked but Bournemouth didn’t concede a goal. They weathered the storm.

Rich: But they didn’t because in the end they did concede that’s why we said it looked like Bournemouth had weathered the storm.

Jack: And a bonus idiom in the headline. Blades blow Bournemouth away. This means that they beat Bournemouth easily.

Rich: Let’s talk about that Everton - Crystal Palace match. We said Everton stormed out of the blocks. To storm out of the blocks means to start a race or competition very strongly.

Jack: The idiom comes from sprinting. When you start a 100-metre race you put your feet in running blocks. Everton started the match against Palace very well.

Rich: The next idiom is to have the wind taken out of your sails. We said the wind was soon taken out of Palace’s sails when Richarlison scored.

Jack: This idiom describes something that happens to make you feel sad, discouraged or less confident. Palace had equalised but Everton went back ahead quickly. This was demoralising for Palace. The Richarlison goal took the wind out of their sails.

Rich: And a bonus idiom in the headline. It’s a breeze for Everton. A breeze a light pleasant wind and if we describe something like a breeze it means it is very easy.

Jack: Finally, let’s look at the match between Watford and Brighton. The first phrase, it’s not really an idiom,  is to go on barnstorming run. Something that is barnstorming is a successful performance that is full of energy and exciting so a barnstorming run is an exciting dribble with the ball.

Rich: It’s used more often when a player that you don’t expect goes on a long attacking run, usually a defender or a tall central midfielder.

Jack: Doucoure went on a barnstorming run for Watford and scored from just outside the penalty area.

Rich: Our final idiom is to throw caution to the wind. To throw caution to the wind means to forget everything else and take risks and really go for it.

Jack: We said Brighton threw caution to the wind. They needed to score so forgot about defending and just attacked. It got them an equaliser.

Rich: OK, so there are the six words and phrases. Listen to this part of the podcast again if you are not sure how to use them.

Jack: The words and phrases are:  to take something by storm, to weather the storm, to storm out of the blocks, to have the wind taken out of your sails, a barnstorming run and to throw caution to the wind.

Football Awards

Jack: Right, every week, we give out three Matchweek awards. The awards are Player of the Week, Team of the Week and Goal of the Week.

Rich: In the comments section, you need to tell us if you agree with our choices. 

Jack: Let’s start with Player of the Week. Just the three matches last weekend so not much choice. We could go for Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp but we’re going to go with Everton’s Brazilian striker, Richarlison.

Rich: His goal was fantastic - a barnstorming run and he set up Everton’s third when he hit the bar.

Jack: Now Team of the Week. So, we had only two winners. Everton and Sheffield United.

Rich: Well, as they are my team we’re going to go with Sheffield United - they are up to fifth and taking the Premier League by storm.

Jack: Finally, our Goal of the Week. We’re going to leave this one to you. We’re going to give you three options and you need to tell us which you think was best.

Rich: Goal number one: Abdoulaye Doucoure for Watford against Brighton. A barnstorming run and finish from the French player.

Jack: Goal number two: Richarlison for Everton against Crystal Palace. Another barnstorming run and finish this time from Everton’s Brazilian international.

Rich: Goal number three: John Lundstram for Sheffield United against Bournemouth. A tidy finish from the Blades midfielder that won the game.

Jack: OK. Those are our three options. Did you see them? Which do you think was the best? 

Rich: Let us know your choice and if you agree with our other weekly awards in our comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Matchweek Prediction 

Jack: Every week, Rich predicts the result of one Premier League match and we want you to make your prediction, too.

Rich: Last week I went for a Sheffield United win and Sheffield United won so that’s a win for me.

Jack: OK, we have Matchweek 26 part two this weekend. Which match are you going to take a look at?

Rich: Chelsea are at home to Manchester United next Monday. This should be a good battle between two teams that are fighting for that fourth Champions League spot. Chelsea re in fourth at the moment but are not in great form and have only won two of their last eleven matches. Manchester United are down in eighth and need a win at Stamford Bridge to close the six-point gap between the two teams. This one is a tough one to call so I’m going to go for a draw. Final score: Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United

Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for. I hope you have enjoyed this football round-up. Join the discussion at the bottom of the page on the Premier Skills English website. 

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Jack: If you have any questions or comments or suggestions for the podcast or anything football or English related, you can leave them on the website in the comments section or you can email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.