Hello and welcome to the Premier Skills English podcast. This series of Football English podcasts are based around the needs of football players and football fans and will present language you need to play the game, language you need to watch the game on TV and online and language you need to travel to the UK to see a match at a Premier League stadium.
Today, I’m going to focus on some of the summer stories from the summer so far. Wow, that's a bit of a tongue twister! These are not the biggest stories or the most important stories, they are just three stories that I have chosen. I have tried to prepare these stories so that most of the language is sort of intermediate but there are a couple of more advanced phrases that I will explain in a short language focus after each story. Then after the stories there will be a language challenge and then at the end there will be a new football phrase for you.
If you are listening to this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you should also visit the page for this podcast on the Premier League British Council website. On the page for this podcast, you’ll find the transcript so you can read and listen at the same time, an interactive activity version of the language challenge that you can use to practise using some of the language from the podcast and the football phrase. If you can work out the answer to the football phrase, leave it in a comment on the website and I will let you know if you are right. I do read every comment before I publish them on the site to make sure they are not naughty; so they don’t break any of the rules; and I do enjoy reading from you so please feel free to leave a comment and just say hello if you’d like. I’d love to hear from you.
The language that I am going to focus on in the stories this week is:
- A tactical masterclass
- The architect of the victory
- To face elimination
- To turn the game on its head
- Dominance in the league
- A strategic investment
Listen out for this language in the stories. Now it’s time for the first story:
Palmer Inspires Chelsea to Club World Cup Triumph
Chelsea produced a tactical masterclass to stun Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the team everyone expected to win. The Premier League club triumphed with a 3-0 victory and became the new FIFA Club World Cup champions.
The architect of the victory was Cole Palmer. He played amazingly in the first half. Chelsea kept attacking on the left side of PSG's defence. After 22 minutes, Palmer scored the first goal with a fantastic, curving shot. He added a near-identical second just eight minutes later before bagging an assist. Palmer made a perfect pass to his teammate, João Pedro, who scored Chelsea’s third goal with a soft, clever kick just before halftime.
PSG, who had won all their other games easily, could not find a way to score and grew increasingly frustrated, with João Neves seeing red for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Chelsea's goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, was also outstanding. In the second half, Chelsea managed the game very well to win the historic trophy. This important victory showed that Chelsea's young team is now one of the best in the world.
The phrases I want to talk about from this story are:
- A tactical masterclass
- The architect of the victory
A tactical masterclass
This is when a manager or a team has a very clever plan for a game. The plan works perfectly and helps them win easily. I think that this is most commonly used when an underdog, that is, a team that people do not expect to win, are able to easily defeat a stronger opponent as then, it’s thought that the result is down to the managers tactics, more than the skill level of the players. For example, if a team that everyone expects to lose creates a special plan and wins 5-0, people would say it was a tactical masterclass.
The architect of the victory
An architect is someone who designs buildings. In sport, we use this phrase as a metaphor for the person who "designed" the win. It is the main person responsible for the success. This could be the manager who created the plan, or a key player who controlled the game and created the goals. In simple terms, it means the most important person who made the win happen.
Now it’s time for the second story.
Hampton the Hero as Lionesses Win Epic Shootout
England booked their place in the Euro 2025 semi-finals after producing a miraculous comeback and winning a nail-biting penalty shootout against Sweden.
The main hero of the match was England's goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton. She saved the final, most important penalty kick. Before her save, England faced elimination three times in a chaotic shootout
In the first half of the game, it looked like England were going to lose. Sweden played very well and was winning 2-0 by halftime. But England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman, made some excellent changes. The introduction of her 'super-subs' turned the game on its head. England suddenly played much better and scored two goals in as many minutes to draw level and eventually force penalties.
During the penalty shootout, England benefited from their resilience and a bit of luck. After Chloe Kelly scored her penalty, Sweden's goalkeeper missed her own shot. Then, Hannah Hampton made a fantastic save to win the surprising victory for England.
The manager, Sarina Wiegman, said: “That's a quality that is so strong in this team, that togetherness and fighting back."
England will now play against Italy in the semi-final on Tuesday.
The phrases I want to talk about from this story are:
- To face elimination
- To turn something on its head
To face elimination
This means to be in a situation where you could be knocked out or eliminated from a competition. If you lose the next game or moment, for example. if the next penalty goes in, your time in the tournament is over and you have to go home. For example, in a World Cup knockout match, the losing team is eliminated. In other words, to face elimination means to be in danger of being removed from a competition.
To turn something on its head
This phrase means to completely change a situation, making it the opposite of what it was before. I think it literally means to turn something so that it’s upside down, so that it’s resting on its head instead of its feet. For example, imagine a team is losing 2-0 and playing very badly. Then, they score three quick goals and win the game. They have turned the game on its head. So in other words, to turn something on its head means to change a situation completely (usually from bad to good).
Now it’s time for the last story.
Arsenal complete record signing
Arsenal Women have shattered the world transfer record by signing striker Olivia Smith from Liverpool for £1m, the first-ever seven-figure fee in the women's game.
The 20-year-old Canadian international joins Arsenal, the current champions of Europe following a successful season at Liverpool where she scored seven goals in 20 games. The deal is very good business for Liverpool, as they bought Smith for only £210,000 last year.
For Arsenal, buying this player for a record price is a big statement of intent. It shows everyone they are serious about challenging Chelsea. Chelsea has had dominance in the English league for many years, and Arsenal has not won the title since 2019.
This transfer is also a strategic investment for the club. This means they are planning for the future by adding a very promising young player to their team. They hope she will help them stay one of the best clubs in England and Europe for many years.
The phrases I want to talk about from this story are:
- Dominance in the league
- A strategic investment
Dominance in the league
This is the noun form of the adjective dominant, which means to be the most powerful and successful in a specific field or area. So I said that Chelsea had dominance in the league because they were much more powerful and successful than all the other teams in their league over a long period of time. Chelsea have won the championship year after year and rarely lose to the other teams. Perhaps not for much longer?
A strategic investment
This is a clever purchase or decision that is part of a long-term plan. For example, a football club might buy a talented 18-year-old player. They might not be the best player today, but the club believes they will be a superstar in a few years. Buying the young player is a strategic investment for future success. So a strategic investment means spending money now as part of a long-term plan for the future.
OK. That’s 6 quite advanced phrases today. The phrases from the stories were:
- A tactical masterclass
- The architect of the victory
- To face elimination
- To turn the game on its head
- Dominance in the league
- A strategic investment
Listen to the headlines one more time to hear these phrases in context.
Palmer Inspires Chelsea to Club World Cup Triumph
Chelsea produced a tactical masterclass to stun Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the team everyone expected to win. The Premier League club triumphed with a 3-0 victory and became the new FIFA Club World Cup champions.
The architect of the victory was Cole Palmer. He played amazingly in the first half. Chelsea kept attacking on the left side of PSG's defence. After 22 minutes, Palmer scored the first goal with a fantastic, curving shot. He added a near-identical second just eight minutes later before bagging an assist. Palmer made a perfect pass to his teammate, João Pedro, who scored Chelsea’s third goal with a soft, clever kick just before halftime.
PSG, who had won all their other games easily, could not find a way to score and grew increasingly frustrated, with João Neves seeing red for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Chelsea's goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, was also outstanding. In the second half, Chelsea managed the game very well to win the historic trophy. This important victory showed that Chelsea's young team is now one of the best in the world.
Hampton the Hero as Lionesses Win Epic Shootout
England booked their place in the Euro 2025 semi-finals after producing a miraculous comeback and winning a nail-biting penalty shootout against Sweden.
The main hero of the match was England's goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton. She saved the final, most important penalty kick. Before her save, England faced elimination three times in a chaotic shootout.
In the first half of the game, it looked like England were going to lose. Sweden played very well and was winning 2-0 by halftime. But England’s manager, Sarina Wiegman, made some excellent changes. The introduction of her 'super-subs' turned the game on its head. England suddenly played much better and scored two goals in as many minutes to draw level and eventually force penalties.
During the penalty shootout, England benefited from their resilience and a bit of luck. After Chloe Kelly scored her penalty, Sweden's goalkeeper missed her own shot. Then, Hannah Hampton made a fantastic save to win the surprising victory for England.
The manager, Sarina Wiegman, said: “That's a quality that is so strong in this team, that togetherness and fighting back."
England will now play against Italy in the semi-final on Tuesday.
Arsenal complete record signing
Arsenal Women have shattered the world transfer record by signing striker Olivia Smith from Liverpool for £1m, the first-ever seven-figure fee in the women's game.
The 20-year-old Canadian international joins Arsenal, the current champions of Europe following a successful season at Liverpool where she scored seven goals in 20 games. The deal is very good business for Liverpool, as they bought Smith for only £210,000 last year.
For Arsenal, buying this player for a record price is a big statement of intent. It shows everyone they are serious about challenging Chelsea. Chelsea has had dominance in the English league for many years, and Arsenal has not won the title since 2019.
This transfer is also a strategic investment for the club. This means they are planning for the future by adding a very promising young player to their team. They hope she will help them stay one of the best clubs in England and Europe for many years.
Language Challenge
Right, now it’s time for you to think about the language again.
Here are 6 sentences with gaps in them and you have to complete the gaps with the correct form of the phrases from this podcast. Getting the correct form for at least one of them will be quite tricky.
Number 1. The team has won the title for five years in a row. Their _______________ is clear for everyone to see.
Number 2. Buying the young player was expensive, but the club sees it as a _______________ . They believe she will be a world star in five years.
Number 3. The midfielder controlled the whole game and scored the winning goal. He was the real _______________ .
Number 4. The manager's plan to play with five defenders completely surprised the other team and led to an easy 4-0 win. It was a _______________ .
Number 5. It was the final group match. If they lost this game, they would _______________ from the tournament.
Number 6. We were losing 2-0 at halftime, but the new players who came on were amazing and we won 3-2. They managed to _______________ .
OK! There is an interactive version of this gapfill on the page for this podcast on the Premier League British Council website. As I say, one of them is really quite tricky so if you have any problems with it then please leave me a comment and I’ll reply and do my best to explain it. So check out the page and complete the activity to see if you have the right answers.
Football phrase
Now it’s time for this week’s football phrase.
This week’s football phrase is ** **** ** **** *****. This is a football metaphor that means to retire from something. In sports, it means to stop playing at a professional level, however, we also use it when we retire from or stop doing any other professional activity.
If you know the answer leave it in a comment on the page for this podcast on the Premier League British Council website.
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.
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