This Week: Respectable

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.

This week, I’m talking about Liverpool’s trip to Crystal Palace, a victory for Villa against Arsenal and Brighton who hosted Burnley.

The words and phrases I am going to talk about today are:

• Physical
• Dominance
• A scrap
• Respectable
• To slip up
• To pick out someone
• To have high hopes
• A big step up
• To weave

Listen out for this vocabulary in the stories.

After the stories, there will be a 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 to **** *** *********. This phrase is something that a referee can do if they decide not to stop play and award a free kick because the team that was fouled is in a strong position. A referee can blow their whistle and stop the play and award a free kick or they can **** *** *********.

Congratulations to Vietnguyenngo from Vietnam, Wojciech M from Poland, AndreTorre102 from Brazil, Alex from Ukraine, Ken from Japan, Denis2000 from Belarus, Hasan from Turkey, Ryohei and Goku from Japan and to Gustavo Fonseca from Peru.

You all worked out that the phrase I was looking for was to play the advantage.

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

Now it’s time for the first story.

Liverpool lead the league

Liverpool travelled to Selhurst Park on Saturday to face Crystal Palace. The Eagles have been having a hard time recently and looked nervous in the first half. Palace’s physical style was difficult for Liverpool to deal with and even got them the lead in the 57th minute. Jarell Quansah’s clumsy attempt to clear the ball caught Mateta on the ankle and earned the home side a penalty. Mateta sent the Liverpool keeper the wrong way before smashing the ball into the net.

Liverpool dominated the match but didn’t look like scoring until Jordon Ayew was sent off after earning a second yellow. With a player advantage, Liverpool’s dominance in possession was sure to pay off. One minute later, Liverpool overran Palace and Salah was able to slip the ball between the Palace defenders to equalise.

The match was won in extra time with a beautiful strike from Harvey Elliot. Liverpool looked like scoring again, but when the goal came, it was still somehow a surprise. The whole match had felt like a scrap up until Salah spotted Elliot in space. Elliot turned towards goal and ran forwards. He struck the ball just as the Palace defenders closed in. With a slight curl, the ball tucked inside the near post.

Final score: Crystal Palace 1 - 2 Liverpool

The words from the story that I want to talk about are:

• Physical
• Dominance
• A scrap

Physical
The adjective physical in regular English just means relating to the physical body. So you can do physical exercise which means exercise to stay fit or strong, exercise for your body. I suppose this should be contrasted with mental, relating to the mind, but people don’t really talk about mental exercise much. However, in sports, if things are physical, it normally means the action is a bit violent. People might describe ice hockey in Canada as a very physical sport because there’s a lot of fighting. In football, it’s slightly more complicated. If someone describes a football match as a very physical game, then they mean that there was a lot of pushing and contact between the players. This isn’t quite fighting because some physical contact is expected and allowed. If a team plays with a very physical style, you should expect the team to receive lots of bookings b ecause when players are very happy to jostle and push each other when trying to get the ball, physical play can easily turn aggressive and then the play can become violent.

Dominance
The noun dominance cones from the verb to dominate. This word comes from a latin word meaning lord or master. It means to control someone, to rule over or master someone. In a football match, if one team is in control because they are much stronger than their opponent, then they could be described as dominant and the noun form dominance can be used to talk about this state of control. Liverpool had 73% of the possession in the match against Crystal Palace so they dominated the possession. I said that this dominance was sure to pay off, meaning the situation was going to result in a goal for Liverpool. To pay off was one of the vocabulary items last week.

A scrap
A scrap is a fight. It’s just a little fight; nothing too serious. I suppose that all fighting is serious really, but when I was a kid, a scrap was a little fight and nobody paid it much attention. In football, if a match is described as a scrap or is called scrappy, it means that the football never really flowed well and that neither team seemed to have enough control for well-worked team goals. Scrappy football is not elegant. The adjective form means untidy and not well developed or attractive. When footballers are not able to work the ball well and find a rhythm, then the style of play is sometimes scrappy.

Let’s move on to the next story.

McGinn delivers victory for Villa

Unai Emery has done a great job at Villa. When he took over last season, Villa were in 16th. He went on to win 15 of his first 25 league games finishing in a respectable 7th place. This season, he’s got Villa playing even better and hasn’t lost a league home game since last February when they were beaten by Arsenal.

The Gunners got off to an attacking start but slipped up early when Leon Bailey sliced through the midfield before picking out James McGinn who received the ball with his back to the goal. McGinn took a touch then spun and powered the ball past Raya and into the Arsenal goal.

Arsenal had not exactly been caught napping, but it seemed to take them a while to get the measure of Villa’s high press. They might have settled into the match sooner if they’d had Arteta on the sidelines, but the Arsenal Manager was forced to watch from the director’s box having received a touchline ban the previous week.

When Arsenal finally settled, they looked like they were going to score and both Saka and Odegard missed opportunities that you’d expect them to score from and a few decisions went against them. Villa looked delighted when the final whistle was blown.

Final score: Aston Villa 1 - 0 Arsenal

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

• Respectable
• To slip up
• To pick out someone

Respectable
The adjective respectable is normally used to describe a person who is socially acceptable, that is, people think they are a good person or at least, they are not a bad person, they are good enough. When I was a teenager, I never wanted to be respectable, I wanted to be a bit of a rebel, but really, I was always quite respectable. I said that Villa finished in a respectable 7th place. 7th placed in the Premier League is actually pretty amazing in the world of football, but if you’re just talking about the top flight league, then it’s respectable. I think Villa fans would have liked to have finished higher, but they must have been happy enough given their start to the season.

To slip up
This phrasal verb, to slip up, just means to make a mistake. You can also use the noun a slip-up for a mistake. We use the phrasal verb and noun for mistakes that are not very serious. I mean, as an Arsenal fan, conceding an early goal at Villa Park was probably more than a slip-up, but it wasn’t the end of the world. I don’t think we use the term for bigger mistakes ... if I took my car to the petrol station and accidentally put the wrong fuel in my car, when I called my wife for help, I don’t think I’d say I slipped up ... I’d more likely say I messed up. But if I said the wrong thing or accidentally sent an email to the wrong person because I wasn’t paying attention, I’d probably call that a slip-up.

To pick out someone
If you pick out someone or pick someone out, normally that means you see them and recognise them or select them when they are in a group of people. So at the end of a football match, the pundits usually pick out a man of the match, that is, they recognise the skills and contribution one player made over their teammates. You can also pick out a thing which has a similar meaning. It means to identify or select something when it is in a group of similar things. If I have to go to an important meeting, I will have to pick out a tie to wear from my tie collection. In football English, the meaning is a little different. It means to pass the ball so that it goes exactly to the player you want. So I said that Leon Bailey picked out McGinn which means he saw McGinn in a group of other players and managed to pass the ball directly to him.

Let’s move on to the final story.

Brighton and Burnley break even

When second from the bottom Burnley made the trip to the South Coast to take on Brighton, they probably didn’t have very high hopes. Vincent Kompany stormed the Championship with Burnley and was determined to see the club succeed this season, but the Premier League is a big step up and, so far, Kompany’s Clarets have not enjoyed a lot of success.

However, when the match kicked off at Brighton, Burnley went for it and the first good opportunity of the match went their way. They didn’t score right away, but they made their intention clear. Brighton pushed back right away and found a way through Burnley’s defence but were blocked by James Trafford in Burnley’s goal.

In the 45th minute, somewhat against the run of play, Wilson Odobert put Burnley ahead. The French teenager received the ball just outside Brighton’s box. He weaved to try put the defenders off balance before striking the ball well. It may have taken a slight deflection, but it was still a good goal.

In the second half, Brighton fought back and pummelled Burnley’s defence and goal. Eventually, in the 77th minute, the Seagulls broke through and equalised when Adingra headed home from a Pascal Gros cross.

The home side kept the pressure up for the remainder of the match, but Burnley held on for the point, mostly down to a heroic performance in goal from Trafford who racked up 10 saves in the match.

Final score: Brighton and Hove Albion 1 - 1 Burnley

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

• To have high hopes
• A big step up
• To weave

To have high hopes
This has come up before, but I think it’s worth covering again. If you have high hopes for something, you are very positive about something. You are confident that it’s going to be good. I used it in a negative sentence when I said that Burnley probably didn't have very high hopes, meaning they were probably not very confident. If you want to use the phrase in a positive sentence, you can say you have high hopes of something. So you might say you have high hopes of winning or you have high hopes of success for your team.

A big step up
If something is a step up, it represents a big increase in the level of whatever you are talking about. If you get a promotion at work that involves a lot of extra responsibility, you might say it’s a big step up for me. I said that playing in the Premier League is a big step up for clubs that have been promoted because the level in the Premier League is so high. It represents a big increase in skill level and media attention and often money and rewards so it’s a big step up for players.

To weave
This is an interesting verb that comes from cloth and clothing, though the original use is not very common these days in the UK. When you make cloth or fabric, you start with cotton or wool threads and weave them together by threading the individual strands between each other on a machine called a loom. Each individual thread is pushed inside one thread and outside the next, in and out across the loom so that the cloth is eventually woven out of lots of threads. This movement, inside and outside or to the left and then the right can also describe the way a person moves through a crowd. If you have to walk through a crowd, the way you move through the people is usually left a bit then right a bit as you pass through the crowd. We even say you can thread your way through the crowd, using the same metaphor. On the football pitch, when a player tries to get past the opposition defence, they sometimes weave left and right in order to thread their way through the defence. So to move to the left and right when passing through a group of people can be called weaving.

Today, I’ve spoken about 9 useful words and phrases. The words and phrases I have spoken about are:

• Physical
• Dominance
• A scrap
• Respectable
• To slip up
• To pick out someone
• To have high hopes
• A big step up
• To weave

Listen to the stories one more time to hear this language in context.

Liverpool lead the league

Liverpool travelled to Selhurst Park on Saturday to face Crystal Palace. The Eagles have been having a hard time recently and looked nervous in the first half. Palace’s physical style was difficult for Liverpool to deal with and even got them the lead in the 57th minute. Jarell Quansah’s clumsy attempt to clear the ball caught Mateta on the ankle and earned the home side a penalty. Mateta sent the Liverpool keeper the wrong way before smashing the ball into the net.

Liverpool dominated the match but didn’t look like scoring until Jordon Ayew was sent off after earning a second yellow. With a player advantage, Liverpool’s dominance in possession was sure to pay off. One minute later, Liverpool overran Palace and Salah was able to slip the ball between the Palace defenders to equalise.

The match was won in extra time with a beautiful strike from Harvey Elliot. Liverpool looked like scoring again, but when the goal came, it was still somehow a surprise. The whole match had felt like a scrap up until Salah spotted Elliot in space. Elliot turned towards goal and ran forwards. He struck the ball just as the Palace defenders closed in. With a slight curl, the ball tucked inside the near post.

Final score: Crystal Palace 1 - 2 Liverpool

McGinn delivers victory for Villa

Unai Emery has done a great job at Villa. When he took over last season, Villa were in 16th. He went on to win 15 of his first 25 league games finishing in a respectable 7th place. This season, he’s got Villa playing even better and hasn’t lost a league home game since last February when they were beaten by Arsenal.

The Gunners got off to an attacking start but slipped up early when Leon Bailey sliced through the midfield before picking out James McGinn who received the ball with his back to the goal. McGinn took a touch then spun and powered the ball past Raya and into the Arsenal goal.

Arsenal had not exactly been caught napping, but it seemed to take them a while to get the measure of Villa’s high press. They might have settled into the match sooner if they’d had Arteta on the sidelines, but the Arsenal Manager was forced to watch from the director’s box having received a touchline ban the previous week.

When Arsenal finally settled, they looked like they were going to score and both Saka and Odegard missed opportunities that you’d expect them to score from and a few decisions went against them. Villa looked delighted when the final whistle was blown.

Final score: Aston Villa 1 - 0 Arsenal

Brighton and Burnley break even

When second from the bottom Burnley made the trip to the South Coast to take on Brighton, they probably didn’t have very high hopes. Vincent Kompany stormed the Championship with Burnley and was determined to see the club succeed this season, but the Premier League is a big step up and, so far, Kompany’s Clarets have not enjoyed a lot of success.

However, when the match kicked off at Brighton, Burnley went for it and the first good opportunity of the match went their way. They didn’t score right away, but they made their intention clear. Brighton pushed back right away and found a way through Burnley’s defence but were blocked by James Trafford in Burnley’s goal.

In the 45th minute, somewhat against the run of play, Wilson Odobert put Burnley ahead. The French teenager received the ball just outside Brighton’s box. He weaved to try put the defenders off balance before striking the ball well. It may have taken a slight deflection, but it was still a good goal.

In the second half, Brighton fought back and pummelled Burnley’s defence and goal. Eventually, in the 77th minute, the Seagulls broke through and equalised when Adingra headed home from a Pascal Gros cross.

The home side kept the pressure up for the remainder of the match, but Burnley held on for the point, mostly down to a heroic performance in goal from Trafford who racked up 10 saves in the match.

Final score: Brighton and Hove Albion 1 - 1 Burnley

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 stories online and edited them slightly. I have removed today’s vocabulary so I want you to fill in the gaps with the correct form of the language from the podcast.

Number 1. Formula One's media has gradually been running out of adjectives to describe Max Verstappen's ____________ this year, but the statistics of his phenomenal 2023 season speak for themselves.

Number 2. I went to a Christmas market that’s been voted one of the best in the UK – I had ______________  but it was just depressing.

Number 3. Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United’s defending was ‘not good enough’ and that he must ‘criticise the team’ after their ___________ to Galatasaray.

Number 4. Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga is full of praise for his new club as they prepare for their second season back in the Premier League. "I feel like this is a ______________ for me, a step that I wanted and needed. Hopefully, we can have an amazing season."

Number 5. A woman seen __________ her Mercedes across the road has been banned for drink-driving after it was found she was narrowly over the legal alcohol limit.

Number 6. I knew Jamie Mulgrew would become a top player at Linfield when we _________ him ________ at Glentoran, reveals Blues’ talent spotter Willie McKeown

Number 7. 'Stop Brexit Man' Steve Bray, an anti-Brexit campaigner got into a _________ after protesting at a Bruges Group event outside the Tory Party Conference.

Number 8. Speaking to media on Wednesday, the Irish defender said: “This league is quite __________ and I’m learning from each game. I’m a big lad myself so I don’t mind a challenge.”

Number 9. After a serious hearing in Congress in the US, the study of UFOs is finally becoming a _____________ science.

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 a bit of a football English cliche. It’s used to describe a team that has conceded an early goal because they hadn’t really settled into the match and made a mistake. When a team concedes this type of goal, it’s because they weren’t really paying as much attention as they should have been. It’s almost like they needed to wake up and focus on the game. They were ****** *******.

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. The politician claimed he felt physically intimidated and feared being pushed down a London underground escalator by a protester.
Number 2. The team captain took a free kick from about 40 yards. His long arcing shot glanced off a defender’s head and into the net winning the game for Verona.
Number 3. A mum was livid when she found out her son was given a 'shameful' and unfair punishment when he missed a day of school.
Number 4. Chelsea were leading by two goals at half-time but Brighton halved the deficit through Facundo Buonanotte before Gallagher was shown a second yellow card.
Number 5. Terrifying footage has emerged of a surfer being pummelled by huge waves during wild weather conditions at a popular beach.
Number 6. Anton Ferdinand believes that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is ‘his own worst enemy’ and feels that the Spaniard’s overthinking could cost his side.
Number 7. A strong second half and a well-worked goal for Matt Garbett have earned New Zealand's All Whites a 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland.
Number 8. Andy Murray is desperate to make amends for his painful Wimbledon defeat as he leads a group of six British hopefuls at the US Open.
Number 9. Connor O’Riordan says practice paid off when his double helped Crewe Alexandra to a 3-2 win over Doncaster Rovers.
Number 10. Declan Rice seemed destined for Chelsea, but when they failed to take advantage, Arsenal pounced.

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.