Learn English Through Football

In this football language podcast we look back at some of the language from the big game from the Premier League last weekend: Manchester City versus Liverpool using the Guardian newspaper match report. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
 
Learn English Through Football Podcast: 2023 Man City v Liverpool (Mis-hit Clearance)
DF: Hi Damon and hello to all the listeners. Hope we are all well and enjoying the return to domestic football after the international break. Yes, I am in a rather cold but bright London – perfect conditions for watching and playing football! Indeed, straight after playing five-a-side on Saturday morning I got home to watch the City-Liverpool match with anticipation but thought it was a little flat, especially the atmosphere which was maybe due to the early kick-off time (12:30 in the UK). What did you think of the game Damon?
DB: Hi there Damian. Playing five-a-side in a bright and sunny London sounds a great way to start the day. Tokyo too is chilly but with sunshine. Nice weather! As for the Man City versus Liverpool game, I agree that it was not as exciting as many people had thought it would be. The early kick off never helps, but I also thought both teams showed each other a lot of respect, so it was quite a tactical game. I think both teams were happy with the point, so weren’t prepared to go for it. Although Man City fans will probably feel they did enough to win, especially with a goal ruled out for a foul on Alisson. As a Liverpool fan, I was relieved to get to the final whistle at 1-1, and was pretty pleased with how we played overall.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean).
Key Words
DB: Yes, you are listening to Languagecaster.com and that message was in Korean. Right, let’s take a look at some of the language used to describe the Manchester City vs Liverpool game from the Guardian newspaper report. And in particular, we will be looking at some of the language to describe the Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson’s performance. But before we take a look at them, here are some of the words and phrases that you will hear:

* Set up a counter attack: To start a quick attack that tries to catch out the opposition.
* Hit the ball cleanly: This means to strike or kick the ball well
* Mis-hit pass: A pass that is not hit cleanly, the ball is not hit well and so goes in a different direction that the player wants it to go.
* Infringement: When the laws of the game are ‘broken’; an example would be a handball or a foul.