Football Shout-out: Set-Pieces
Football Shout-out: Set-Pieces
Welcome to Football Shout-out from Premier Skills English, where we talk about the language you need when watching a match. Whether you are a super fan or an armchair supporter you won't be able to avoid football on TV this summer. In Football Shout-out, Jack and Rich present useful language to shout at the TV screen when watching a match with or without friends! In this episode, they look at some words and phrases that fans use when your team has a set-piece such as a corner or a free-kick. Do you know what 'to play it short' means?
Transcript
Jack: Hello and welcome to Premier Skills English - Football Shout-out
Rich: Football shoutout is the series that teaches you the language you need when you’re watching the game.
Jack: Hi everybody my name’s Jack
Rich: and my name’s Rich and welcome to our latest Football Shout-out where we talk about the English you need when you’re watching football.
Jack: If you listened to our last lesson, you will remember this:
Jack: Oh no! That was shocking defending. I can’t believe. We’ve let that one in.
RIch: The goalkeeper had no chance. The shot was too good.
Jack: But … the defending … shocking. Where was the defence?
Rich: I don’t know. We don’t deserve to be 1-0 down. No way. We’ve been the better team - we can still get back into this.
Jack: We always freeze on the big occasion. Look! The board is going up. Two minutes? There’s got to be at least 5 minutes extra!
Rich: Two minutes? You’ve got to be joking. Come on. We just need one more chance.
Jack: The final whistle. Rubbish!
...
Rich: You know … the best team won.
Jack: You’re joking, right? We were robbed!
Rich: It’s only a game. We’ll win next week.
Jack: Did you just say it’s only a game?
Rich: Err .. no?
Rich: Our last lesson was all about what we shout when your team is losing or loses a match. If you haven’t heard the lesson, there is a link on the side of this page for you to go back and listen and learn lots of phrases and words we use after a defeat.
Jack: This lesson is all about what we say when there is a set-piece.
Rich: What’s a set piece?
Jack: You know … corners, free-kicks, penalties, throw-ins. When the ball is dead.
Rich: When the ball is dead??
Jack: Not in play.
Rich: Got it. Listen to this:
Jack: Another long throw coming up. They’re just going to launch it again.
Rich: It’s all they do. That’s it. Get it out! Clear it!
Jack: Nice. Down the line. Pass it. Go on go past him.
Rich: Corner.
Jack: Get it swung in. Ahh! They’ve played it short again. Pass it. That’s it. Penalty!!
Rich: Outside the box. Free-kick.
Jack: We never score free kicks come on. He’s never going to get it over the wall.
Rich: Top corner this. You watch. Crossbar! How unlucky!
Jack: Penalty! Handball!
Rich: Which way is going to put it?
Jack: Down the middle, I reckon.
Rich: Goal. He got a hand to it but he was never going to stop that one.
Jack: A set-piece is either a throw-in, a corner, a free-kick or a penalty. When there is a set-piece there is a break in play we are often say something when there is one.
Rich: Let’s look at each set-piece and the phrases that fans often say. Let’s start with the throw-in. This set-piece, in most parts of the pitch, is just a way to get the ball back into play.
Jack: But when the throw-in is in the attacking third of the pitch it can be used to create a chance to score.
Rich: This is the long throw when a player will throw the ball directly into the penalty area from the touchline.
Jack: Some players can throw it longer than I can kick it!
Rich: You might hear fans, especially near the end of a game, saying ‘launch it’ or ‘get it in the box’. This means they are telling the player to do a long throw.
Jack: The next set-piece is a corner. The phrases are similar to a throw in because you can take a short corner or cross the ball directly into the box.
Rich: Fans sometimes get tired of short corner routines and might shout ‘swing it in’ which means they want the ball to go directly into the penalty area.
Jack: The next set-piece is a free-kick. Like throw-ins, free-kicks, in most parts of the pitch, are just a way to get the ball back into play.
Rich: But when a free-kick is in the attacking third of the pitch it can be used to create a chance to score or to shoot directly at goal.
Jack: Fans often discuss whether a player is going to shoot or cross the ball. Is the player going to try to put the ball around or over the defensive wall is another common discussion.
Rich: ‘He’s not going to shoot from there’ and ‘It’s too far out for a shot’ are common things fans say if we think the player is unlikely to shoot.
Jack: Our final set-piece is the penalty. Fans usually discuss which direction the player will shoot: down the middle, bottom or top corner.
Rich: After a goal, we might say something like ‘he gave the goalkeeper no chance’ or ‘the keeper dived the right way’ if it was a good penalty or maybe ‘keeper got a hand to it’ if it wasn’t so good but the player still scored.
Jack: We’ll look at these phrases and a few more in the lesson which you can find below this podcast.
Rich: Listen again. Do you understand everything now?
Jack: Another long throw coming up. They’re just going to launch it again.
Rich: It’s all they do. That’s it. Get it out! Clear it!
Jack: Nice. Down the line. Pass it. Go on go past him.
Rich: Corner.
Jack: Get it swung in. Ahh! They’ve played it short again. Pass it. That’s it. Penalty!!
Rich: Outside the box. Free-kick.
Jack: We never score free kicks come on. He’s never going to get it over the wall.
Rich: Top corner this. You watch. Crossbar! How unlucky!
Jack: Penalty! Handball!
Rich: Which way is going to put it?
Jack: Down the middle, I reckon.
Rich: Goal. He got a hand to it but he was never going to stop that one.
Jack: So, there are a few expressions you can use when a player is taking a set piece.
Rich: We’ve got some activities to help you remember the phrases that we’ve been speaking about in the lesson below this podcast.
Jack: We’ll be back soon with our final football shout-out lesson, which will be about phrases football fans use after a match.
Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.
Language
Set-pieces
In this lesson, Jack and Rich used lots of phrases connected to set-pieces. A set-piece is the action of putting the ball back into play when the ball is dead (out of play). Set pieces include:
- corners
- free-kicks
- goal kicks
- throw-ins
- penalties
A set piece gives a team the opportunity to use pre-prepared routines that players have practised at training. When we say that a team is good at set pieces we are usually talking about corners and free-kicks in the attacking part of the pitch. We also often hear people saying that a team is good or bad at defending set pieces.
Do you know a team that is good at set pieces or bad at defending set pieces?
Corners and Throw-ins
Corners and throw-ins are common set pieces and often result in goals being scored and chances being created. In the roleplay, Jack and Rich used phrases connected to both of these set pieces. Take a look at these examples:
Another long throw. They're just going to launch it.
Get it swung in. Ah! They've played it short again.
When a team has a corner or a throw-in there are two main options, you can play the ball short or play it long. Most teams have a player that has a long-throw and it can be a very dangerous weapon on the pitch. It's a direct style of play and is often used near the end of a match if a team is losing. The phrase 'to launch it' means to throw the ball directly into the penalty area. 'To swing the ball in' is a similar phrase used for corners. The other option is to play the ball short; this is usually done to change the angle of the cross that comes into the penalty area.
Do you know any other phrases you could use that are connected to throw-ins or corners?
Free-kicks and Penalties
Free-kicks and penalties are two other set pieces which often result in goals being scored. In the roleplay, Jack and Rich used phrases connected to both of these set pieces. Take a look at these examples:
He's never going to get it over the wall.
Which way is he ging to put it?
Straight down the middle.
When a team has a free-kick, the discussion is often about whether the player will cross the ball into the penalty area or shoot directly at goal. You could say 'he's going to shoot here' or a more difficult phrase is 'this is within range' which means it's possible to score from here. The (defensive) wall is made up of defenders who are trying to block a shot. A striker might try to put the ball over the wall or put it around or even under the wall hoping that the defenders will jump. When a player has a penalty, fans talk about which area of the goal the player will aim for. You might hear phrases such as 'bottom corner', 'top corner', or 'straight down the middle'.
Do you know any other phrases you could use that are connected to free-kicks or penalties?
Task
Football Commentary
Choose one of the situations below and write a short piece of football commentary (a script) that describes a goal being scored.
- Your team has a throw-in in the attacking half of the pitch.
- Your team has a corner in the 90th-minute.
- Your team have a free-kick just outside the penalty area.
Write your answers in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Try to use some of the language that we used in this podcast.
The answers to the quiz below are all words that Rich and Jack used in the roleplay. Can you remember what they said?
Quiz
Please login to take this quiz.
What do you think?
Were any of these phrases new for you?
Can you tell us any other phrases that are connected to set pieces (corners, free-kicks, throw-ins and penalties)?
Write your answers in the comments section below and don't forget to write your answers to the task we have given you in the section above.
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Comments
05/08/2018
points
Some were new others I already knew.
05/08/2018 04:21
Manchester City
881
Some were new others I already knew.
05/08/2018
points
The most of the phrases were new for me.
05/08/2018 02:13
Manchester City
48
The most of the phrases were new for me.
05/08/2018
points
Many of the phrases explained knew them but I was not sure what they meant.
05/08/2018 01:39
Chelsea
889
Many of the phrases explained knew them but I was not sure what they meant.
04/08/2018
points
I love knowing more about new countries, about their culture and food. I like it because my beloved Colombia appears
04/08/2018 23:33
Manchester United
800
I love knowing more about new countries, about their culture and food. I like it because my beloved Colombia appears
04/08/2018
points
The most of the phrases were new for me.
04/08/2018 23:01
Chelsea
660
The most of the phrases were new for me.
04/08/2018
points
It was very interesting
04/08/2018 22:01
West Ham United
367
It was very interesting
04/08/2018
points
it was exciting to perform and learn in this lesson
04/08/2018 21:39
Chelsea
-729
it was exciting to perform and learn in this lesson
04/08/2018
points
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
04/08/2018 21:18
Manchester United
756
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
04/08/2018
points
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
04/08/2018 20:44
Manchester United
756
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
04/08/2018
points
It was very interesting.
04/08/2018 20:39
Leicester City
627
It was very interesting.
04/08/2018
points
It was very interesting I learned a lot
04/08/2018 03:45
Arsenal
754
It was very interesting I learned a lot
04/08/2018
points
It was very interesting I learned a lot.
The exceptional and the best goal of the defense of France, Benjamin Pavar d. This annotation was given in the round of 16 and was chosen in the first place.
04/08/2018 02:20
Arsenal
833
It was very interesting I learned a lot.
The exceptional and the best goal of the defense of France, Benjamin Pavar d. This annotation was given in the round of 16 and was chosen in the first place.
04/08/2018
points
Many of these phrases are new to me.
Task:
Your team has a corner in the 90th-minute
Another corner shot; there are many that we have seen until now but good one more opportunity
Nice pass it, pass it
if half-court shot
Goal! it was inevitable to rub his hands
04/08/2018 00:48
Manchester United
864
Many of these phrases are new to me.
Task:
Your team has a corner in the 90th-minute
Another corner shot; there are many that we have seen until now but good one more opportunity
Nice pass it, pass it
if half-court shot
Goal! it was inevitable to rub his hands
03/08/2018
points
Good test
03/08/2018 23:39
Chelsea
520
Good test
03/08/2018
points
very good
03/08/2018 23:06
Manchester United
-890
very good
03/08/2018
points
It was very interesting I learned a lot
03/08/2018 22:55
Manchester United
523
It was very interesting I learned a lot
03/08/2018
points
A really good test.
03/08/2018 22:22
Arsenal
595
A really good test.
03/08/2018
points
It was very interesting, I learned a lot and even more about the playing field.
03/08/2018 22:11
Manchester City
-569
It was very interesting, I learned a lot and even more about the playing field.
03/08/2018
points
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
03/08/2018 21:37
Manchester United
896
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
03/08/2018
points
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
03/08/2018 21:36
Manchester United
709
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
02/08/2018
points
It was very interesting I learned a lot
02/08/2018 03:30
Liverpool
795
It was very interesting I learned a lot
01/08/2018
points
There were a few words new to me
01/08/2018 02:33
Manchester United
781
There were a few words new to me
01/08/2018
points
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
01/08/2018 02:17
Manchester United
866
it was a somewhat difficult test, but I learned too many sentences and vocabulary
31/07/2018
points
Some were new others I already knew
31/07/2018 03:27
Manchester United
36
Some were new others I already knew
31/07/2018
points
most of the sentences were new to me, that well always have the opportunity to improve myself and learn
31/07/2018 03:27
Chelsea
533
most of the sentences were new to me, that well always have the opportunity to improve myself and learn
31/07/2018
points
Of course these phrases are now very important for me.
Yes clear for example goal kick
31/07/2018 02:28
Manchester United
924
Of course these phrases are now very important for me.
Yes clear for example goal kick
30/07/2018
points
All the phrases are new for me
30/07/2018 23:48
Chelsea
742
All the phrases are new for me
30/07/2018
points
The exceptional and the best goal of the defense of France, Benjamin Pavar d. This annotation was given in the round of 16 and was chosen in the first place.
30/07/2018 02:56
Manchester United
246
The exceptional and the best goal of the defense of France, Benjamin Pavar d. This annotation was given in the round of 16 and was chosen in the first place.
30/07/2018
points
Almost all the phrases were new to me.
30/07/2018 02:21
Manchester City
759
Almost all the phrases were new to me.
30/07/2018
points
All these fraces were new to me.
30/07/2018 01:34
Arsenal
774
All these fraces were new to me.
29/07/2018
points
The most of the phrases were new for me.
29/07/2018 17:50
Manchester United
722
The most of the phrases were new for me.
29/07/2018
points
I have learned a lot today
29/07/2018 05:24
Arsenal
598
I have learned a lot today
27/07/2018
points
The most of the phrases were new for me.
27/07/2018 22:57
Arsenal
822
The most of the phrases were new for me.
27/07/2018
points
These phrases are new to me.
I do not know any other that is connected to these issues.
27/07/2018 17:30
Arsenal
921
These phrases are new to me.
I do not know any other that is connected to these issues.
27/07/2018
points
Yes, these phrases were new for me.
I don't know any phrase, sorry.
27/07/2018 03:04
Manchester City
664
Yes, these phrases were new for me.
I don't know any phrase, sorry.
26/07/2018
points
The most of the phrases were new for me.
26/07/2018 00:43
Manchester United
828
The most of the phrases were new for me.
25/07/2018
points
The most of the phrases were new for me.
25/07/2018 03:17
Manchester United
828
The most of the phrases were new for me.
24/07/2018
points
Yes, these phrases were new for me.
I don't know any phrase, sorry.
24/07/2018 00:09
Manchester United
568
Yes, these phrases were new for me.
I don't know any phrase, sorry.
23/07/2018
points
3) Your team have a free-kick just outside the penalty area
During Mexico's and South Corea's match CArlos Vela scored a free-kick
what I said in that moment was "traight down the middle, shoot directly at goal!"
23/07/2018 01:11
AFC Bournemouth
578
3) Your team have a free-kick just outside the penalty area
During Mexico's and South Corea's match CArlos Vela scored a free-kick
what I said in that moment was "traight down the middle, shoot directly at goal!"
20/07/2018
points
A corner. It's our last chance. What? We always play them long and now, then the time is up, we play it short. Cross the ball! Wait! Handball! That's a penalty!
I reckon he's going to get it top corner. Goal! He hit the ball perfectly. The goalkeeper had no chance.
20/07/2018 22:44
Manchester United
759
A corner. It's our last chance. What? We always play them long and now, then the time is up, we play it short. Cross the ball! Wait! Handball! That's a penalty!
I reckon he's going to get it top corner. Goal! He hit the ball perfectly. The goalkeeper had no chance.
20/07/2018
points
All the phrases are new to me.
20/07/2018 21:38
Crystal Palace
875
All the phrases are new to me.
16/07/2018
points
A corner. It's our last chance. What? We always play them long and now, then the time is up, we play it short. Cross the ball! Wait! Handball! That's a penalty!
I reckon he's going to get it top corner. Goal! He hit the ball perfectly. The goalkeeper had no chance.
16/07/2018 22:09
Chelsea
1646
A corner. It's our last chance. What? We always play them long and now, then the time is up, we play it short. Cross the ball! Wait! Handball! That's a penalty!
I reckon he's going to get it top corner. Goal! He hit the ball perfectly. The goalkeeper had no chance.
18/07/2018
points
Hi Acicala!
Thanks for the dialogue. Great use of the new phrases and I liked how you used the phrase 'now, that the time is up'. It's exactly what so many (frustrated) football fans say!
Rich - The Premier Skills English Team
18/07/2018 09:26
Liverpool
594
Hi Acicala!
Thanks for the dialogue. Great use of the new phrases and I liked how you used the phrase 'now, that the time is up'. It's exactly what so many (frustrated) football fans say!
Rich - The Premier Skills English Team
16/07/2018
points
All the phrases were new for me, thanks!
16/07/2018 03:22
Chelsea
303
All the phrases were new for me, thanks!
16/07/2018
points
All of these phrases were new for me.
No, I can't. Sorry
16/07/2018 03:20
Chelsea
612
All of these phrases were new for me.
No, I can't. Sorry
16/07/2018
points
All the phrases were new, thanks!
16/07/2018 03:19
Chelsea
303
All the phrases were new, thanks!
16/07/2018
points
These phrases were really interesting.
16/07/2018 00:54
Manchester United
590
These phrases were really interesting.
15/07/2018
points
Yes, they were.
15/07/2018 23:33
Manchester City
702
Yes, they were.
15/07/2018
points
1. some phrase are not new for me
2. i dont know
15/07/2018 21:53
Everton
288
1. some phrase are not new for me
2. i dont know
15/07/2018
points
All the phrases were new to me.
15/07/2018 03:47
Chelsea
554
All the phrases were new to me.