Learn English Through Football Podcast

Podcast: Johan Cruyff - On this week's learning English through football podcast we look back at the career of the great Johan Cruyff who...

What's the meaning of the phrase 'total football'?

On this week's learning English through football podcast we focus on Ireland and some of their greatest ever players in our main listening report - we also have a quiz to help those who want to improve their English. We also feature a new English for football phrase - this week we look at the expression 'to capitalise on an error'

What is the meaning of the phrase 'Capitalise on an error' in football?

This week's listening practice report looks at the 2016 FA Cup quarter-finals that are taking place this weekend.

This week's English for football phrase is 'deflected'. This verb describes the action of making something change direction.

2016 Europa League Last 16 Previews: This week's listening practice report looks ahead to some of the big games from the Europa League...

What is the meaning of the phrase 'wide' in football?

This weeka€™s listening practice report looks at this yeara€™s Capital One League Cup final between Liverpool and Manchester City.

What is the meaning of the phrase 'On the back/front foot' in football?

This week's listening practice report focuses on one of the big games in Spanish football - the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

What's the meaning of the word 'end' in football?

On this week's learning English through football podcast we focus on the title races in England and Italy.

Subscribe This week's listening practice report focuses on the big games taking place this weekend in Italy and in England. The top four teams in both leagues face off in possible title showdowns. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above, and you can also read the transcript of the report (below). There are also explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) at the end of the post. Listening Practice: 2015-16 Serie A and Premier League Showdowns It's a huge weekend of football in England and Italy as we approach the business end of the season. In both leagues the top four face off in crucial games that will go a long way to deciding the title and which teams will play in next season's Champions League. Arsenal vs Leicester City Arsenal have not won the Premier League title in 12 years and they are five points behind the leaders Leicester City who travel to face them this weekend; yet strangely the London club still start as favourites to win this top of the table clash. Maybe this is because Arsene Wenger's men are seen to have more quality, at least on paper, with more international caps than their Leicester counterparts but this also reflects the feeling that surely the Leicester fairytale cannot continue? However, the Foxes have only been beaten twice all season (although one of those was against Arsenal) and have players such as Mahrez, Kante and striking sensation Jamie Vardy all in a rich vein of form. Would it be such a shock for them to win at The Emirates a week after doing the same at Manchester City? Manchester City vs Tottenham Tottenham travel to Manchester full of confidence on the back of a six-game winning run, four of those in the Premier League, while City have just suffered a demoralising home defeat to Leicester City last week. City also have injury problems though they do have a good recent record against the London side, especially at home. This game has some interesting match-ups with two of the best keepers in Hart and Lloris, two promising young England internationals Sterling and Dele Alli and of course, two in-form strikers in Agüero and Harry Kane. Juventus vs Napoli The top two in Italy face off this weekend in what promises to be a game that will go a long way in deciding the title. Napoli, who have not won the Scudetto since 1990, have won 8 games in a row but remarkably their opponents Juventus have managed 14 wins on the trot so something will have to give today. Which of the two Argentine strikers will prevail: Napoli's Higuain or Juve's Dybala? A mouth-watering evening of football lies ahead. Fiorentina vs Internazionale The last of the big four games this weekend sees the team in third place in Italy's top division host the side in fourth in a battle over Champions League places. Remember, in Italy only the top three qualify for next season's Champions League so with only one point between the two teams this game could prove pivotal. Vocabulary top of the table clash: A game between teams at the top of the divisionA Arsene Wenger's men: Arsenal players counterparts: The meaning is 'equivalents' but here it refers to their opponents the Foxes: Leicester's nickname on the back of: After a six game run demoralising: Discouraging (a negative sense) match-ups: Pairings will go a long way in deciding the title: This will be a very important game on the trot: Consecutively something will have to give: Neither side can maintain their winning run so one of them, at least, cannot win today. prevail: Win (come through) mouth-watering: Many people are looking forward to the game pivotal: Be very important indeed. Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast There are different ways of listening to our football podcasts: Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Click download on any of our podcast posts to save to your computer Podcast FAQ

What is the meaning of the phrase 'Rich Vein of Form' in football?

[print_link] | Subscribe This week's listening practice report spotlights a new league in England aimed at helping overweight men lose weight, which is part of an initiative called Man v Fat. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above, and you can also read the transcript of the report (below). There are also explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) at the end of the post. Listening Practice: Man v Fat Football has always played an important role in improving society: there's the Homeless World Cup and programmes like the one that founded a youth league in the poorest areas of Nairobi, MYSA. The latest in these community projects is the Man v Fat football league in England. Man v Fat was an idea by Andrew Shanahan, and its goal is to help overweight men shed the pounds.A The idea behind the Man v Fat league is simple. If you have a body mass index, or BMI, over 30, you can join the league. Your team gets points for wins but also for how much weight the team members lose. Players in the league hope to show fat the red card while doing something they love. Instead of being an armchair fan, overweight men are invited to get off their backsides and become fitter. Games last 30 minutes, two 13-minute halves and a 4-minute break, which allows the men to ease their way back into active sports. As well as bonding with others in the same boat, participants get advice on healthier lifestyle options. Before and after the game each player is weighed and the team with the biggest combined weight loss gets extra points. This means that all can feel they are contributing to the team. Involving men in this league seems to take advantage of many men's competitiveness and love for football. The founder says, "When I was fat I went to Weight Watchers, but it didna€™t feel like it was angled towards men." Combining football with fitness is certainly one way to fight an expanding waistline. Vocabulary initiative: plan, proposal coat of arms: An ancient symbol representing a town or family shed the pounds: lose weight show fat the red card: stop weight gain armchair fan: a fan who only watches football (sport) but doesn't play the game get off (their) backside: do something; be active; be proactive in the same boat: the same situation expanding waistline: increasing weight Man v Fat homepage Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast There are different ways of listening to our football podcasts: Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Click download on any of our podcast posts to save to your computer Podcast FAQ

(to) Stroke in: This verb phrase describes scoring a goal - 'in' means in the net, in the goal, and 'to stroke' means to kick

On this week's learning English through football podcast we have as our main listening report a look at three teams on the south coast of England, Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth. Our English for football phrase is, to fashion a chance, and we have six great games in our predictions section. Predictions include FA Cup fourth round games from England, two regional derbies from Spain and the Milan derby in Serie A. As always, if you have ideas for a main report or a phrase for football that you would like explaining, let us know by contacting us with the link below. Learn English Through Football Podcast: South Coast Teams Listen only to the main report here - the transcript and vocabulary will help you understand key phrases and improve your language skills. This week's predictions feature games from the FA Cup Third Round This week's English for football phrase is 'fashion a chance'. Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here. If you have any suggestions, contact us at [email protected] Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Podcast FAQ

In this weekends FA Cup round games Portsmouth take on Bournemouth. Both are on the south coast of England, and along with Southampton, they make up three big south coast teams. We take a look at their history, nicknames and crests in this week's listening practice report.

To fashion a chance: To create a chance of scoring a goal

Last week we looked at the Premier League title race and as the Bundesliga has returned after its winter break we thought we'd take a look at the German title race on this week's listening practice report.

Nod home: When we use the phrase to nod the ball we mean that a player has used his/her head to move the ball - to head the ball...

On this week's listening practice report we wonder which team will win this season's Premier League title.

What is the meaning of the phrase 'Romance of the Cup' in football?

On this week's learning English through football podcast we feature the 2016 English FA Cup third round.

FA Cup 1976: On this week's listening practice report, Damon takes a trip down memory lane and describes the 1976 FA Cup final - played...

For this week's English for football phrase, we discuss the word 'starting XI'

[print_link] | Subscribe Our main listening practice report this week sees Damon give his thoughts on Liverpool's first half of the season. Damon is a Liverpool fan and talks about the manager, best players, flops, highlights and more. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above, and you can also read the transcript of the report (below). There are also explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) at the end of the post. Listening Report: Liverpool - half term report card We are nineteen games into the English Premier league season and just about to start a new year, 2016. So, now is a good time to take a look back and give some reactions, as a Liverpool fan, on my teama€™s performance. The manager The biggest story for Liverpool, perhaps, was the sacking of Brendan Rogers, the man who so nearly brought the league title to Liverpool in 2014, and the appointment of the charismatic German, Jurgen Klopp. To be honest, I would have kept Rogers, simply because the managerial merry-go-round is getting tiring: Ia€™m quite envious of Arsenal and the way they have kept faith with Wenger. But on the other hand, ita€™s also good to have such a crazy, enthusiastic, and successful manager in charge. Star players To be honest - none. But Ia€™ve been happy with our two full backs, Moreno and Clyne since Klopp started. Nothing spectacular but quite solid with lots of pace. Can in midfield has bags of potential, but there are others I wish I could have seen more of - Sturridge, Ings, Flanagan have all had long term injuries but may have brought quality and drive in their positions. Flops Ia€™m wary of calling players flops, as Ia€™m trying to be more patient - as my comments about the manager before hinted at. However, Firmino and Benteke were bought for a lot of money and neither has looked like shining yet. Also a concern is the goalkeeper Mignolet - good shot stopper but always likely to make a mistake. Highlight Ia€™d say the 4-1 thrashing of Manchester City. It was like 2013/14 again. We destroyed them in the opening half with pace, passing and fast pressing. Firminoa€™s goal after a neat back heel from Can to Couthino to square it was sublime. Low Losing to Newcastle, who were struggling, after Liverpool beat Southampton 6-1 in the league cup was a real let down. Wea€™d just won 4 in a row, including the win over Manchester City and were on a real high, but could find no way past a defensive Newcastle. This loss has highlighted a huge problem with Liverpool: if a team decides to defend, it seems we cana€™t break them down. What do I want to see in 2016? Winning the league? Top four? Ia€™m not even thinking of either of those. I would like some silverware, though A dream would be the Europa League but Ia€™d settle for the League Cup. Ia€™m also keen to see what the new stand looks, and sounds, like. More atmosphere at Anfield would be great but often with new developments the atmosphere can be changed in a negative way, so Ia€™m hoping that more sound and noise is generated and Anfield can be a fortress again! Oh, and one more thing. Ia€™d like to see more patience from fans for our new manager and young squad! Vocabulary kept faith with: trusted; given time to do a job; believed in bags of : lots of; an abundance of drive: passion; power; energy flops: a failure: a player who doesn't live up to potential to shine: to play very well; to stand out; to be a star player a neat back heel: a skillful back heel; a clever back heel a let down: a shock; a depressing loss; an upsetting thing break them down: get past a team's defence Ia€™d settle for X: X would be good; I'd like X even though it isn't the best thing Links Soccerway.com's page on Liverpool Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast There are different ways of listening to our football podcasts: Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Click download on any of our podcast posts to save to your computer Podcast FAQ

This week's English for football phrase is 'to see out the game'

Our main listening practice report this week focuses on the FIFA Club World Cup, taking place in Japan starting this week.

Today's football phrase is 'back to back victories

On this week's show, in our predictions section we have four games from the Champions League, as well as Newcastle v Liverpool, a fixture that usually equals lots of goals! In our listening practice report, we have a post from our archive. This time it is from 2011 and we discussed some of the best overseas players to have played in the Premier League in England. Following this Damon explains the football expression 'to pick out'. A As always, if you have ideas for a main report or a phrase for football that you would like explaining, let us know by contacting us with the link below. Learn English Through Football Podcast: The 4 Best Overseas Players in the PL? Listen only to the main report here - the transcript and vocabulary will help you understand key phrases and improve your language skills. This week's predictions feature games from the Premier League, theA MLS and, theA Champions League Check out our glossary of footballing phrases here. If you have any suggestions, contact us at [email protected] Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Podcast FAQ

[print_link] | Subscribe In this week's main listening report, we feature a post from 2011 from our archive. We asked the question, who are the best ever foreign imports to have played in the Premier League? Of course, there are plenty of talented overseas stars playing now, but this report focuses on those who stayed for an extended period and left a mark on the game in England.You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above, and you can also read the transcript of the report (below). There is also explanations of key vocabulary (in bold). Best Overseas Premier League Player Eric Cantona When Leeds United sold Eric Cantona to rivals Manchester United in 1992 few could have predicted the impact that the mercurial Frenchman would have on Manchester United over the next five years. He helped United to their first title since 1967 and then won another three with the Red Devils, along with 2 FA Cups, while he was also Player of the Year on two occasions. Cantona was never far from controversy but his manager, team mates and fans were all sure that he was worth it. Cantona played 185 games for United scoring 85 goals including the winner of the 1997 FA Cup final. Thierry Henry Now he arrived at Highbury in 1999 hoping to re-build his reputation after a torrid time in Italy with Juventus. He left 8 years later having become the club's highest ever scorer with a remarkable 226 goals in 370 appearances. The 1998 World Cup winner also won two Player of the Year awards, two league titles, three FA Cup wins and was top scorer in the Premier League on four occasions. A true Arsenal legend. Peter Schmeichel Schmeichel arrived in England in 1991 for what his manager later called a 'bargain' fee of A£500.000 and the Danish international - he won the European Championship in 1992 - went on to play more than 290 times for Manchester United. He won five league titles, two FA Cups, a League Cup and in 1999 a Champions League final. Now Schmeichel was a strong character who dominated his penalty area and organised his defence; he was also one of the best an shot-stoppers around. Gianfranco Zola Zola joined Ruud Gullit's Chelsea from Italian side Parma in 1995 and helped to transform the London side into serious title contenders in England. Zola played the game in such a way that fans everywhere loved him, particularly the way that he could break down defences with a pass or a dribble. Zola won the FA Cup twice with the Blues, the League Cup once and the Cup Winners Cup in 1998 when Zola scored the winning goal. Zola made 312 appearances for Chelsea and scored 80 goals. Vocabulary mercurial: magical the Red Devils: The nickname of Manchester United never far from controversy: a temperamental character a torrid time: A difficult time legend: A very famous player, one loved by many fans title contenders: Teams that have a strong chance of wining the title Listen to Languagecaster.com's football podcast There are different ways of listening to our football podcasts: Subscribe to the show and receive automatic downloads every week Subscribe through i-tunes here Click for the latest shows here Click download on any of our podcast posts to save to your computer Podcast FAQ

(to) Pick out: Today's football phrase is one from a question on our forum pages: 'to Pick Out'.

On this week's languagecaster podcast we focus on the last 16 places up for grabs in the Champions League in our main listening practice section

This week's English for football phrase is 'up for grabs' which is used to describe a situation in which a team has a chance of winning a game or qualifying for the next round of a competition after looking like there was no chance at all.

A month ago, we took a look at the Champions League groups after two games. Now, all teams have played five or the six group games and we review the current situation.

2015-16 Clásico: This week we feature the biggest game in La Liga: El Clásico in our listening practice report, following this Damon explains the football expression 'to be fit' and we have some huge games in our predictions battle

Listening Practice: 2015 El Clásico: Three Things to Watch out for

This week's football language phrase is simple but very important; it is 'to be fit'.

On our main listening practice report for this week's podcast we take a look at the Euro play offs and the teams' chances of getting through

What is the meaning of the word 'contenders' in football?

In this listening practice report we look ahead to the four 2016 European Championship play-off matches and try to offer a prediction!

Back to the Future II: To celebrate Back to the Future day we take a look at what football may look like in 2045!

Today's football phrase is 'Off the mark'. Find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below. You can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here. [print_link] | Subscribe: Weekly Football Phrase Off the Mark This phrase means to get a first win or a first goal. Mark in this sense, means the start line of a race, so to get off the mark, means to start the race. Every season, strikers especially want to get off the mark and score their first goal. In a similar way, teams want to get there first win and get off the mark. The phrase is usually used with the verb 'to get', to get off the mark. If used with the phrase to be quick, to be quick off the mark, it has a different meaning - it means to be able to react quickly and run the first few metres very quickly, like a sprinter in a race. Example: Benteke scored or created 49% of Villa's league goals last season and he got off the mark for this campaign with a close-range header. Example: (Headline) Harry Kane glad to silence 'one-season wonder' critics after getting off the mark in Tottenham victory over Manchester City.

Can the world of rugby teach football?

Rugby and football have a shared history which goes all the way back to folk football. What can football learn from rugby?

The cliche old school is a phrase that means traditional, typical, but also has a nuance which says that something is rare now. So, ...

Back to the Future: We are going to take a look back at what football was like 30 years ago in 1985.

First time is used in football to give a pass or hit a shot without having to control the ball beforehand