Medium: Set Up

Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

This episode is easy so we’re looking at common football words and phrases. Things you use and need to know to play the game.

Summary

Learn more football vocabulary with Premier Skills English. Each lesson in our Premier Vocabulary section looks at one football word or phrase. This lesson looks at the phrase set up. 

You can find more lessons on the side of this page.

Transcript

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich and welcome to Premier Skills English - Premier Vocabulary.

Jack: Hi there! I’m Jack. We’re here to help you with your football English. Premier Vocabulary is a mini-podcast for you to learn football English one word at a time. 

Rich: We have three different levels for you: easy, medium and hard.

Jack: This episode is medium so we’re looking at football words and phrases you need to describe what’s happening on the pitch or words and phrases fans and commentators on TV might use. There will be lots of phrasal verbs to learn at this level.

Rich: The phrase we are looking at in this episode is the phrasal verb to set up.

Jack: Set up has quite a few meanings. For example, you can set up a business - here set up means to start or create. You set up a new business, company or venture.

Rich: It can be used to trick someone or make them look guilty. I didn’t do it - he did it. He set me up.

Jack: It can mean arrange something. Hey Rich can you set up a meeting for me at five on Friday.

Rich: I’m not your secretary! Set up can be used to put something together or build something up. Can you set up your instruments over there or the police have set up roadblocks to stop the criminals escaping.

Jack: So, set up has lots of meanings but, as always, we’re going to look at the ones connected to football. 

Rich: The first meaning of set up connected to football is to make the pass that creates a chance to score a goal. Listen to these:

Jack: Bruno Fernandes ran down the wing and set up a great chance for Martial but he put it over the bar.

Rich: United scored their second when Juan Mata set Marcus Rashford up to roll the ball into an empty net.

Jack: So, to set up means to create a chance to score. 

Rich: You may have heard the word assist - this is a noun and has the same meaning but we don’t usually use it in verb phrases.

Jack: How many assists does Kevin De Bruyne have this season? How many goals has Kevin De Bruyne set up this season?

Rich: These two questions mean the same thing. 

Jack: The phrasal verb to set up has another football meaning - this meaning is connected to a team’s style of play or formation.

Rich: A manager might set her team up to attack.

Jack: Or a manager might set up using a 442 formation.

Rich: Here set up is being used in connection with the style of play or shape of the team - how the team is organised on the pitch.

Jack: Have a listen to this little match report and listen for examples of set up.

Rich: Arsenal, set up not to concede took a shock lead when Mesut Ozil set up Aubameyang for his 20th of the season in the first half. Jurgen Klopp who had set his team up to attack from the start soon equalised when Mohamed Salah set up Firmino.

Final whistle

Jack: There is the final whistle!

Rich: We’ll be back soon with more Premier Vocabulary from Premier Skills English.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

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Who sets up most goals for your team?