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This Week: Title Chances

This Week: Title Chances

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. In This Week, Rich, Laura and Jack talk about the latest action from the Premier League and have lots of football English for you to learn.

Transcript

If the listening is a bit difficult, try listening and reading at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

This Week: Title Chances 

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

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

Rich: My name’s Rich. If you want to listen and read at the same time we have a transcript of this podcast on the Premier Skills English website.

Laura: This week we focus on Manchester City and Arsenal.

Jack: We’re going to look at three headlines from the weekend’s action and look at some words and phrases connected to those headlines.

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

Laura: If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, you can leave your comments in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.

Jack: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page. 

Rich: The words and phrases we are looking at this week are: resilient, centre-half, warm up, spot, dent the hosts’ slim title chances and judged to have handled. 

Laura: Later on we’ll also have a language challenge for you to have a go at so you need to be ready for that.

Headline 1

Jack: City’s defensive duo defeat West Ham.

Laura: Manchester City made it twenty wins in a row with a 2-1 win against Champions League-chasing West Ham. Goals from centre-halves John Stones and Ruben Dias were enough for City despite a first-half equaliser from Michail Antonio for the resilient Hammers. 

Rich: City might be twelve points clear at the top but it wasn’t an easy win. West Ham hit the post and nearly got a last-minute equaliser.

Jack: West Ham defended really well - we described them as resilient.

Laura: This is our first word this week - resilient. Something that is resilient is able to return to how it was before despite problems or setbacks.

Rich: Children are often described as resilient. Something disappointing or bad might happen but they are usually happy again soon after.

Jack: Football teams are described as resilient when they defend well and keep their shape despite the other team attacking a lot.

Laura: We described West Ham as resilient as the defence kept their shape despite City attacking them a lot.

Rich: But it’s difficult to keep Manchester City out for 90 minutes - especially when even their centre-halves can score.

Jack: We pointed out that City’s goalscorers, Ruben Dias and John Stones, are both centre-halves.

Laura: A centre-half is a defender who plays in the middle of the defence. The word centre-back is also used.

Rich: Ruben Dias scored his first goal for Manchester City. City have had nineteen different goalscorers this season - more than any other club.

Jack: Let’s move on to our next headline.

Headline 2

Laura: Four stars for City and Arsenal.

Rich: Manchester City made it eight wins in a row as they chase Chelsea for top spot in the Women’s Super League and warmed up for a big Champions League tie this week. City beat Birmingham 4-0 and are now two points behind the leaders. Arsenal also won 4-0 away from home - they beat Aston VIlla as they chase Manchester United for a Champions League spot.

Jack: City are flying high in both the women’s and men’s games at the moment.

Laura: They will be looking to carry this form into Europe this week. City have a last 16 Champions League match against Fiorentina of Italy.

Rich: Chelsea have a big match, too. They are up against Atletico Madrid. 

Jack: We said that Manchester City warmed up for this Champions League match by beating Birmingham 4-0.

Laura: Here warm up means prepare for or get ready for something. We can use it to mean practise for an event that is more important.

Rich: To warm up is a phrasal verb. We usually warm up before we do sport. It means to do light exercises and stretches to prepare for sport or more serious exercise.

Jack: We usually warm up to avoid muscle injuries and get our bodies ready for more strenuous exercise.

Laura: The other word I want to look at is spot. We said that Manchester City are chasing Chelsea who are in top spot and Arsenal are chasing Manchester United for a Champions League spot.

Rich: Spot is another word for place. Chelsea are in first place - they are in top spot. Arsenal are chasing a Champions League spot - a place that will enable them to qualify for the Champions League.

Jack: Let’s move on to our final headline.

Headline 3

Rich: Foxes slip up at home.

Jack: Arsenal came from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 and dent the hosts’ slim title chances.  Youri Tielemens scored for the Foxes after only six minutes but Arsenal came back with a header from David Luiz, a penalty from Alexandre Lacazette, after Wilfried Ndidi was judged to have handled, and a close-range finish from Nicolas Pepe.

Laura: A good win for Arsenal and a good week. They also got through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Jack: Yes, things are looking brighter for Arsenal.

Rich: Let’s look at some language. We’re going to break down some longer stretches of language from this headline. Listen to this: to dent the hosts’ slim title chances.

Laura: That’s quite difficult to understand. OK, so the hosts are the team that play at home - that was Leicester.

Jack: Leicester were in second spot before the game but a long way behind Manchester City. They have a chance of winning the title but probably only a slim chance.

Rich: A slim chance is a small possibility. Slim means thin or slight. Leicester only have a slim chance of winning the title and the defeat against Arsenal has hurt those chances.

Laura: Yes, it has dented them. Usually, dent means to make a small hole in something or, in a more abstract way, to hurt something. Defeat after defeat might dent a team’s confidence or pride.

Jack: So, we have this: Arsenal dent hosts’ slim title chances.

Rich: Which basically means Arsenal beating Leicester means Leicester now have less chance of winning the title.

Laura: Let’s look at one more bit of language from the headline: Wilfried Ndidi was judged to have handled. 

Jack: We see this sentence a lot in football reports when a penalty is given for handball: judged to have handled.

Rich: To judge means to decide about something after thinking carefully. Referees and VAR make decisions and judge whether goals should be given or disallowed and whether penalties should be given.

Laura: To handle means to touch something with your hands.

Jack: The Leicester midfielder, Wilfried Ndidi was judged by VAR to have handled the ball. He was judged to have handled. 

Rich: OK. We’ve looked at three stories and lots of vocabulary in our headlines. The words and phrases we’ve looked at were: resilient, centre-half, warm up, spot, dent the hosts’ slim title chances and judged to have handled. 

Laura: Listen to the headlines again to hear these words and phrases in context and don’t forget to look at the website for the transcript if you want to check your understanding of this vocabulary.

Headlines - Repeat

Prediction

Rich: In our prediction last week Jack went for a 1-0 win to Chelsea against Manchester United but the match finished in a nil-nil draw.

Laura: It wasn’t the most exciting of games but because Jack’s prediction was incorrect we’re back to Rich for this week’s prediction. It’s the Manchester Derby on Sunday.

Rich: Yes, it is. Derby matches can be very strange, and the form book often goes out of the window but will it this weekend when City host United at the Etihad? I don’t think it will - City are just too good at the moment. I don’t think it’ll be easy but I think City will win. Final score: Manchester City 2- Manchester United.

Jack: I’m not so sure. Derby matches so often end in draws. One-all for me.

Laura: I think the form book will go flying out of the window in this one. United to win 3-1.

Rich: What do you think the score will be? We want all of you to make your predictions for this match and all the Premier League fixtures which you can find on the Premier Skills English website.

Language Challenge

Jack: To finish up the show we’ve got a quick language  challenge connected to this week’s vocabulary.

Rich: Earlier we spoke about the phrasal verb warm up. We’re going to give you three more sentences which include phrasal verbs with up. Do you know the missing words?

Laura: Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

Jack: It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

Rich: The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.

Laura: We want you to write the answers on the Premier Skills English website where we have some more questions and activities connected to this week’s show.

Jack: Or write your answer on Apple Podcasts if that’s where you listen to us. Just write the answers in the review section and say hi.

Rich: Before we finish we just wanted to say that we hope you found this lesson useful and we hope all of you stay fit and healthy.

Laura: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Headlines

City’s defensive duo defeat West Ham

Ruben Dias and John Stones scored for City.

Manchester City made it twenty wins in a row with a 2-1 win against Champions League-chasing West Ham. Goals from centre-halves John Stones and Ruben Dias were enough for CIty despite a first-half equaliser from Michail Antonio for the resilient Hammers. 

Headlines

Four stars for City and Arsenal

Manchester City beat Birmingham 4-0.

Manchester City made it eight wins in a row as they chase Chelsea for top spot in the Women’s Super League and warmed up for a big Champions League tie this week. City beat Birmingham 4-0 and are now two points behind the leaders. Arsenal also won 4-0 away from home - they beat Aston VIlla as they chase Manchester United for a Champions League spot.

Headlines

Foxes slip up at home

Nicolas Pepe scored for Arsenal.

Arsenal came from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 and dent the hosts’ slim title chances.  Youri Tielemens scored for the Foxes after only six minutes but Arsenal came back with a header from David Luiz, a penalty from Alexandre Lacazette, after Wilfried Ndidi was judged to have handled, and a close-range finish from Nicolas Pepe.

Vocabulary Alert

Language in the headlines

Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4-0.

We looked at six words and phrases in our headlines that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrases in bold. Do you understand what they mean?

Goals from centre-halves John Stones and Ruben Dias were enough for City.

Michail Antonio scored an equaliser for the resilient Hammers. 

Manchester City made it eight wins in a row as they chase Chelsea for top spot in the Women’s Super League.

Manchester City warmed up for a big Champions League tie this week.

Arsenal came from behind to beat Leicester 3-1 and dent the hosts’ slim title chances.

Wilfried Ndidi was judged to have handled, and a close-range finish from Nicolas Pepe.

Prediction

Premier League Prediction: Manchester City v Manchester United

Who will win the Manchester Derby?

Rich thinks Manchester City will beat United in the Manchester Derby on Sunday. Laura and Jack have made different predictions. What do you think will happen in this match and all of this weekend's Premier League fixtures?

Matchweek 27

Fixtures

Burnley v Arsenal

Sheffield United v Southampton

Aston Villa v Manchester United

Brighton v Leicester City

West Brom v Newcastle

Liverpool v Fulham

Manchester City v Manchester United

Tottenham v Crystal Palace

Chelsea v Everton

West Ham v Leeds

Language Challenge

Gareth Bale scored twice for Tottenham as Spurs beat Burnley.

Jack, Laura and Rich set you a language challenge. In the podcast, we said that Manchester City warmed up for their Champions League match by beating Birmingham. Here are three more sentences that use phrasal verbs with up. Can you guess the missing words?

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.

Write the correct answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Discuss

Talk about the headlines

Ruben Dias got his first goal for Manchester City.

Jack, Laura and Rich looked at three stories in the news and some vocabulary that might be new to you. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Which centre-half scored this weekend?
  2. Which team dented Leicester's title chances?
  3. Which player was judged to have handled at the weekend?
  4. What are your Premier League predictions?
  5. Can you do our language challenge?

Write your comments and answers in the section below.

Leave a comment

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Comments

Rich's picture
Rich
08/03/2021
ES
594
points

Hi everyone,

The answers for this language challenge were:

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t GIVE up.

It’s difficult when you score first but END up on the losing side.

The goals have DRIED up for Roberto Firmino this season.


Rich's picture
Rich
08/03/2021 22:17
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi everyone,

The answers for this language challenge were:

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t GIVE up.

It’s difficult when you score first but END up on the losing side.

The goals have DRIED up for Roberto Firmino this season.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
06/03/2021
DZ
3988
points

Hi,

1. Ruben Diaz scored this week.

2. Arsenal dented Leicester's title chances.

3. Ndidi was judged to have handled at this weekend.

4. Premier League predictions City 3 Man U 1.

 

 

 


elghoul's picture
elghoul
06/03/2021 11:54
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

Hi,

1. Ruben Diaz scored this week.

2. Arsenal dented Leicester's title chances.

3. Ndidi was judged to have handled at this weekend.

4. Premier League predictions City 3 Man U 1.

 

 

 

elghoul's picture
elghoul
06/03/2021
DZ
3988
points

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
06/03/2021 11:48
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/03/2021
TR
6539
points

Language Challenge :

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

The goals have ( built ) up for Roberto Firmino this season.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/03/2021 00:18
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Language Challenge :

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

The goals have ( built ) up for Roberto Firmino this season.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/03/2021
TR
6539
points

Gameweek 27 Predictions :

Burnley 0-0 Arsenal
Sheffield United 1-0 Southampton
Aston Villa 1-1 Wolves
Brighton 2-1 Leicester City
West Brom 1-1 Newcastle
Liverpool 3-1 Fulham
Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United
Tottenham 3-0 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 1-1 Everton
West Ham 2-0 Leeds


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/03/2021 00:12
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Gameweek 27 Predictions :

Burnley 0-0 Arsenal
Sheffield United 1-0 Southampton
Aston Villa 1-1 Wolves
Brighton 2-1 Leicester City
West Brom 1-1 Newcastle
Liverpool 3-1 Fulham
Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United
Tottenham 3-0 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 1-1 Everton
West Ham 2-0 Leeds

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/03/2021
TR
6539
points

1. Ruben Dias and John Stones scored both for Manchester City to give them the 20th win in a row.
City are ruthless in recent few weeks.

2. Arsenal dented Leicester’s slim title chances after a brilliant comeback last Sunday.

3. Wilfred Ndidi was judged to have handled after checking the VAR and decided to give a penalty for Arsenal in the last 5 minutes of the first half which was decisive at the result of the game in general.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/03/2021 00:09
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

1. Ruben Dias and John Stones scored both for Manchester City to give them the 20th win in a row.
City are ruthless in recent few weeks.

2. Arsenal dented Leicester’s slim title chances after a brilliant comeback last Sunday.

3. Wilfred Ndidi was judged to have handled after checking the VAR and decided to give a penalty for Arsenal in the last 5 minutes of the first half which was decisive at the result of the game in general.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/03/2021
UA
6578
points

The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/03/2021 03:54
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/03/2021
UA
6578
points

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/03/2021 03:51
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/03/2021
UA
6578
points

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
04/03/2021 03:31
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.

Douglas
04/03/2021
BR
28
points

In our work, we must be resilients when we fail and restart.
My team was in the second spot chasing the first until the last weekend when they lost the game and down up to trird place
Nowadays the best center-half is Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid.
I used to hear phrases with warm up in Formule 1, when the pilots went out of the boxes to prepare his cars to the race.
nearly to the end of the game the visitor team scored and dent the host's slim title chances.
the goalkeeper was judged to have handled out of his penalty area.


Douglas
04/03/2021 01:39
Brazil
Manchester United
28

In our work, we must be resilients when we fail and restart.
My team was in the second spot chasing the first until the last weekend when they lost the game and down up to trird place
Nowadays the best center-half is Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid.
I used to hear phrases with warm up in Formule 1, when the pilots went out of the boxes to prepare his cars to the race.
nearly to the end of the game the visitor team scored and dent the host's slim title chances.
the goalkeeper was judged to have handled out of his penalty area.

Douglas
04/03/2021
BR
28
points

1. Which centre-haf scored this weekend?
Answer: Ruben Dias and Jonh Stones.
2. Which team dented Leicester's title chances?
Answer: Arsenal.
3. Which player was judged to have handled at the weekend?
Answer: Wilfried Ndidi
4. What are your Premier League predictions?
Answer: MANCHESTER CITY (3) MANCHESTER UNITED (1)
5. Can you do our language challenge?
Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.
It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.
The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.


Douglas
04/03/2021 01:16
Brazil
Manchester United
28

1. Which centre-haf scored this weekend?
Answer: Ruben Dias and Jonh Stones.
2. Which team dented Leicester's title chances?
Answer: Arsenal.
3. Which player was judged to have handled at the weekend?
Answer: Wilfried Ndidi
4. What are your Premier League predictions?
Answer: MANCHESTER CITY (3) MANCHESTER UNITED (1)
5. Can you do our language challenge?
Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.
It’s difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.
The goals have ***** up for Roberto Firmino this season.

hsn's picture
hsn
03/03/2021
TR
5558
points

LANGUAGE CHALLENGE
It's difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.
The goals have COVERED up or LOCKED UP for Roberto Firmino this season.
P.S.
Value of players sharply fell down during Covid-19 pandemic and most valuable player in the world is Mbappe-PSG.

https://www.footballbenchmark.com/library/player_valuation_update_slight...


hsn's picture
hsn
03/03/2021 05:31
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

LANGUAGE CHALLENGE
It's difficult when you score first but *** up on the losing side.
The goals have COVERED up or LOCKED UP for Roberto Firmino this season.
P.S.
Value of players sharply fell down during Covid-19 pandemic and most valuable player in the world is Mbappe-PSG.

https://www.footballbenchmark.com/library/player_valuation_update_slight...

hsn's picture
hsn
02/03/2021
TR
5558
points

1. Which centre-half scored this weekend?
RUBEN DİAS
2. Which team dented Leicester's title chances? ARSENAL
3. Which player was judged to have handled at the weekend?
LEICESTER -, WİLFRİED NDİDİ
4. What are your Premier League predictions?
MANCHESTER CITY (2) MANCHESTER UNITED (1)
5. Can you do our language challenge?

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.
-
-
PHRASES;
• Many wild animals such as lions are more resilient so after being hurt they recover quickly.
• Instead of centre-half/back we call “stopper” the player (s) who plays in the middle of defence ,in front of libero and goalkeeper.
• You have to warm up for math exam by solving many problems.
• They missed chance of top spot but winning this match will enable them to qualify for Europa League.
• They have had less chance to get title also last week ElevenFire F.C. won away and dented the hosts’ slim title chances.
• I’ve watched highlights of a match recently, defender touched the ball in his penalty area but he wasn’t judged to have handled even it was clearly seen on the VAR screen.


hsn's picture
hsn
02/03/2021 18:38
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

1. Which centre-half scored this weekend?
RUBEN DİAS
2. Which team dented Leicester's title chances? ARSENAL
3. Which player was judged to have handled at the weekend?
LEICESTER -, WİLFRİED NDİDİ
4. What are your Premier League predictions?
MANCHESTER CITY (2) MANCHESTER UNITED (1)
5. Can you do our language challenge?

Leicester’s chances of winning the title might be slim but they shouldn’t **** up.
-
-
PHRASES;
• Many wild animals such as lions are more resilient so after being hurt they recover quickly.
• Instead of centre-half/back we call “stopper” the player (s) who plays in the middle of defence ,in front of libero and goalkeeper.
• You have to warm up for math exam by solving many problems.
• They missed chance of top spot but winning this match will enable them to qualify for Europa League.
• They have had less chance to get title also last week ElevenFire F.C. won away and dented the hosts’ slim title chances.
• I’ve watched highlights of a match recently, defender touched the ball in his penalty area but he wasn’t judged to have handled even it was clearly seen on the VAR screen.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/03/2021
UA
6578
points

Liverpool 3 : 0 Fulham


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/03/2021 07:52
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

Liverpool 3 : 0 Fulham

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/03/2021
UA
6578
points

Burnley 2 : 2 Arsenal

Sheffield United 1 : 0 Southampton

Aston Villa 1 : 2 Manchester United

Brighton 1 : 0 Leicester City

West Brom 2 : 3 Newcastle

Manchester City 1 : 2 Manchester United

Tottenham 2 : 1 Crystal Palace

Chelsea 2 : 2 Everton

West Ham v Leeds


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
02/03/2021 07:51
Ukraine
Liverpool
6578

Burnley 2 : 2 Arsenal

Sheffield United 1 : 0 Southampton

Aston Villa 1 : 2 Manchester United

Brighton 1 : 0 Leicester City

West Brom 2 : 3 Newcastle

Manchester City 1 : 2 Manchester United

Tottenham 2 : 1 Crystal Palace

Chelsea 2 : 2 Everton

West Ham v Leeds

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6578
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5558
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74676
2Ukraine33870
3Spain29492
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23475
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20455
8Turkey20109
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146932
2Liverpool111418
3Chelsea90252
4Arsenal86253
5Manchester City58861
6Tottenham Hotspur19474
7Newcastle United10626
8West Ham United7671
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Crystal Palace4539

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your vocabulary.

Practise your listening skills.

Complete our language challenge and make a Premier League prediction.