<description>&lt;p&gt;In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, 'to clinch the title' after Botafogo's first ever win in the 2024 Copa Libertadores final last weekend. We also look forward to this weekend's football in our predictions competition - including a London derby and the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The post &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com/learn-english-through-football-podcast-clinch-the-title/"&gt;Learn English Through Football Podcast: Clinch the title&lt;/a&gt; appeared first on &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com"&gt;Learn English Through Football&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, 'to clinch the title' after Botafogo's first ever win in the 2024 Copa Libertadores final last weekend. We also look forward to this weekend's football in our predictions competition - including ...

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Clinch the title 
In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, 'to clinch the title' after Botafogo's first ever win in the 2024 Copa Libertadores final last weekend. We also have some language from the FA Cup and we look forward to this weekend's football in our predictions competition - including a London derby and the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/">here</a> and visit our site to access all our previous posts and <a href="https://languagecaster.com/category/podcast/">podcasts</a>. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at <a href="mailto:admin@languagecaster.com">admin@languagecaster.com</a>. 
 
Hello 
DF: You're listening to language caster's Learning English Through Football Podcast. 
 
Hello everyone and welcome to the show for all those who love the <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-glossary-the-beautiful-game/">beautiful game</a> of football and who want to improve their English language skills. My name is Damian and I am based in London where the weather has been quite stormy! I wonder what the weather is like in Tokyo, Japan where of course the other member of the Languagecaster team Damon is based. We'll be hearing from Damon later on in the show when he gives us his predictions for some of the big games this weekend and I wonder if he'll let us know what the weather is like in Tokyo too! 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Italian) 
 
DF: That message was in Italian and we'll be hearing some more languages throughout the show. Try and guess which ones they are (don't worry, we'll give you the answers at the end of the show). 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean) 
Today's Show 
Now, what else do we have on today's show? Well, we will look back at some of the language from the 2024 Copa Libertadores final between Botafogo and Atlético Mineiro which was won of course by Botafogo in dramatic style. We'll also be looking at some language from the FA Cup in England, which is the oldest competition in football, and in particular at language around the word, 'draw'. And then, of course, we'll look give you some predictions from some of the big games this weekend. 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Thai) 
To Clinch the Title 
http://gty.im/2187625542 
 
Botafogo clinched the first Copa Libertadores in their 123-year history with an incredible victory over Brazilian rivals Atletico Mineiro (BBC.co.uk, Dec 1st 2024 
 
DF: Let's take a look at the phrase 'to clinch the title'. The verb '<a href="https://languagecaster.com/weekly-football-phrase-to-clinch/">to clinch</a>' means to succeed in doing something and so in football if a team clinches a title it means that they have won the title; they have been successful in their season or tournament. For example, Manchester City clinched their first Champions League title in 2023, while Real Madrid clinched their 15th Champions League title last season. I wonder who will clinch the Champions League title this season? 
 
We should also congratulate LA Galaxy who clinched the MLS title this weekend - well done to them. 
 
Now, in this season's Copa Libertadores final, held in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro side Botafogo won their first ever continental title by <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-glossary-defeat/">defeating</a> Atlético Mineiro (they're from the south of Brazil); they beat them 3-1 in an amazing match. Botafogo clinched the title in dramatic style. They were <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-ten-men/">reduced to ten men</a> after only two minut...

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Clinch the title

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this football phrase of the week we take a look at the phrase, 'on toast' and explain how it is used in football.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The post &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-phrase-of-the-week-on-toast/"&gt;Football Phrase of the Week: On Toast&lt;/a&gt; appeared first on &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com"&gt;Learn English Through Football&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this football phrase of the week we take a look at the phrase, 'on toast' and explain how it is used in football.

Football Phrase of the Week: On Toast 
In this football phrase of the week we take a look at the phrase, 'on toast' and explain how it is used in football. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/">here</a> and visit our site to access all our previous posts and <a href="https://languagecaster.com/category/podcast/">podcasts</a>. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at <a href="mailto:admin@languagecaster.com">admin@languagecaster.com</a>. 
http://gty.im/2187211067 
 
DB: Hi there everyone. My name's Damon and this is our football phrase of the week. How was your weekend everyone? What football did you watch? I watched Liverpool beat Manchester City 2 -0 at Anfield and our football phrase of the week this week is, on toast. 
Have Someone on Toast 
DB:  Now, this phrase is used with the verb have, to have someone on toast, and it is used when a player is dominating his opponent. In football, a winger or a wide player is often marked or defended against by a full back. It's like a mini battle - attacker vs defender. If the winger is easily beating the full back, for example, taking the ball past the defender each time, then we can say the winger has the full back on toast. 
 
Although Liverpool comfortably beat Manchester City,  City's left winger, Jeremy Doku, won his individual battle with Liverpool's right back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. He had him on toast. Nearly everytime Doku got the ball, he beat Alexander-Arnold. If his crossing or last pass were better, perhaps Manchester City may have scored. 
In his/her pocket 
The opposite situation, when a defender dominates the attacker, or the full back is easily stopping the winger, we can say the attacker is in the defender's pocket. The defender is playing really well and the winger cannot get past him or her. 
 
Last week, Liverpool's other right back, Conor Bradley, faced Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé in the Champion's league. The young defender stopped Mbappé from creating any chances, taking the ball past him, or crossing: he had Mbappé in his pocket. 
 
Example: 'Liverpool crush sorry Real Madrid as Conor Bradley puts Mbappe in his pocket and Mac Allister shines' (headline, <a href="https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-liverpool-crush-sorry-real-madrid-conor-bradley-mbappe-pocket-mac-all-star-shines">football 365</a>, 27 November 2024) 
 
I wonder how would you say these in another language? Let us know by dropping us a line here at admin@languagecaster.com. 
 
We'll be back with some more football language later on in the week and until then ta-ra! 
 
 
Glossary 
<a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/" target="_blank" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >A-B</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/2/" target="_blank" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >C-D</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/3/" target="_self" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >E-F</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/4/" target="_self" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >G-H</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/5/" target="_blank" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >I-K</a> <a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/6/" target="_blank" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >L-N</a><a clas...

Football Phrase of the Week: On Toast

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, 'to go top' and some of its variations. We also look back at some language from the latest round of Champions League games and look ahead to this season's Copa Libertadores final. We also look ahead to this weekend's football with our predictions competition - including the final of CONMEBOL's big club final and Der Klassiker from the Bundesliga.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The post &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com/learn-english-through-football-podcast-to-go-top/"&gt;Learn English Through Football Podcast: To Go Top&lt;/a&gt; appeared first on &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com"&gt;Learn English Through Football&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, 'to go top' and some of its variations. We also look back at some language from the latest round of Champions League games and look ahead to this season's Copa Libertadores final.

Learn English Through Football Podcast: To Go Top 
In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, 'to go top' and some of its variations. We also look back at some language from the latest round of Champions League games and look ahead to this season's Copa Libertadores final. We also look ahead to this weekend's football with our predictions competition - including the final of <a href="https://languagecaster.com/weekly-football-phrase-conmebol/">CONMEBOL's</a> big club final and Der Klassiker from the Bundesliga. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/">here</a> and visit our site to access all our previous posts and <a href="https://languagecaster.com/category/podcast/">podcasts</a>. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at <a href="mailto:admin@languagecaster.com">admin@languagecaster.com</a>. 
 
Hello 
DF: You're listening to language caster's Learning English Through Football Podcast. 
 
Hello everyone and welcome to the show for all those who love the <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-glossary-the-beautiful-game/">beautiful game</a> of football and who want to improve their English language skills. My name is Damian and I am based in London where the weather is cold - very cold! I wonder what the weather is like in Tokyo where the other member of the Languagecaster team Damon is based? 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Portuguese from Brazil) 
Today's Show 
DF: That message was from one of our listeners in Brazil - I know that he is a Vasco da Gama fan so I wonder which team he wants to win this season's Copa Libertadores final which takes place this weekend. We will be looking ahead (or previewing) that game a little later on in the show; when we will also hear from Damon with his predictions on that and three other big games from the weekend. 
 
So, in addition to that stinger from the Brazilian football fan, we will have some more stingers, or messages, in different languages throughout today's show. See if you can guess what languages they are - we'll let you know at the end. 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish) 
 
Right, on today's podcast, in addition to previewing the Copa Libertadores final, we will look at some language from this week's Champions League group stages: <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-to-blow-a-lead/">To blow a lead</a>. And we will also explain the expression 'to go top' along with some variations of this phrase. We will also look ahead to some of the big games this weekend in our <a href="https://languagecaster.com/pool/">predictions competition</a> including Der Klassiker which sees Borussia Dortmund <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-host/">host</a> Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich. 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Dutch) 
To Blow a Lead 
http://gty.im/2187034462 
 
Manchester City have been going through a bad <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-podcast-poor-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">run of form</a> recently - five defeats<a href="https://languagecaster.com/learning-english-through-football-podcast-in-a-row/"> in a row</a> followed by a 3-3 home draw in the Champions League against Feyenoord and this means that we can say that City are in crisis. Remarkably, it looked as if they were going to break their poor run when they went three-nil up in the second half against their Dutch <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-glossary-opponent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opponents</a> on Wednesday. But they made mistakes, switched off and appeared to panic which allowed the Dutch side to stage an amazing <a href="https://languageca...

Learn English Through Football Podcast: To Go Top

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this football phrase of the week we take a look at the phrase, 'to rout another team' and explain how it is used in football.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The post &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-phrase-of-the-week-to-rout-another-team/"&gt;Football Phrase of the Week: To Rout Another Team&lt;/a&gt; appeared first on &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com"&gt;Learn English Through Football&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this football phrase of the week we take a look at the phrase, 'to rout another team' and explain how it is used in football.

Football Phrase of the Week: To Rout Another Team 
In this football phrase of the week we take a look at the phrase, 'to rout another team' and explain how it is used in football. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/">here</a> and visit our site to access all our previous posts and <a href="https://languagecaster.com/category/podcast/">podcasts</a>. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at <a href="mailto:admin@languagecaster.com">admin@languagecaster.com</a>. 
http://gty.im/2186517019 
 
DF: Hello everyone. This is Damian from the Languagecaster team - I hope you are all doing well. We are going to start publishing some extra football language podcasts each week and so in today's football phrase of the week we'll look at the phrase, 'to rout'. 
To Rout Another Team 
DF:  Well, it was a good weekend for my favourite team Tottenham as we beat the champions Manchester City 4-0 away from home. When a team wins by a large score we often use verbs like 'to <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-glossary-to-thrash/">thrash</a>' or 'to <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-glossary-to-hammer/">hammer</a>' and Damon's favourite, 'to <a href="https://languagecaster.com/english-football-phrase-to-thump-a-team-week-32-2009-10/">batter'</a>. So, for example, we can say that England thrashed the Republic of Ireland 5-0 in their recent Nations League game or that Germany hammered (or battered) Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-1 in their recent Nations League game. 
 
Another verb with a similar meaning to this is '<a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-podcast-rout/">to rout</a>' which means a complete defeat of the <a href="https://languagecaster.com/learn-english-through-football-language-podcast-opposition/">opposition</a> and this is what happened at the Etihad last weekend as Tottenham not only scored four times but they dominated the home side throughout the game. The word 'rout' in football suggests that the opposition is broken or completely disorganised and after five straight (or consecutive) defeats, Manchester City now look like a disorganised side. 
 
We mentioned the verbs 'to thrash', 'to hammer' and 'to batter' and all of these have noun forms that are also commonly used in football: so, the thrashing of Ireland; the hammering of Bosnia and so on. We also use the noun form of to rout which is a rout so for example we can say that, 'the Spurs rout of Man City was one of their best performances of the season'. 
 
Can you think of any other examples of the verb 'to rout'? Or how would you say this in another language? Let us know by dropping us a line here at admin@languagecaster.com. 
 
We'll be back with some more football language later on in the week and until then goodbye! 
 
Example: Tottenham rout Manchester City 4-0 to leave Pep Guardiola reeling (Guardian.co.uk November 24 2024) 
 
 
Glossary 
<a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/" target="_blank" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >A-B</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/2/" target="_blank" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >C-D</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/3/" target="_self" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >E-F</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/4/" target="_self" style="color: #FFFFFF; background-color: #000000;" >G-H</a><a class="mks_button mks_button_medium squared" href="https://languagecaster.

Football Phrase of the Week: To Rout Another Team

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this football language podcast we talk about the noun 'slump' and how it is used in football and also look at some big games this weekend.In this football language podcast we talk about the noun 'slump' and how it is used in football and also look at some big games this weekend.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The post &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com/learn-english-through-football-podcast-slump/"&gt;Learn English Through Football Podcast: Slump&lt;/a&gt; appeared first on &lt;a href="https://languagecaster.com"&gt;Learn English Through Football&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

In this football language podcast we talk about the noun 'slump' and how it is used in football and also look at some big games this weekend.In this football language podcast we talk about the noun 'slump' and how it is used in football and also look a...

Learn English Through Football Podcast: Can't Live with Them 
In this football language podcast we talk about the noun 'slump' and how it is used in football and also look at some big games this weekend. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases <a href="https://languagecaster.com/football-language-glossary/">here</a> and visit our site to access all our previous posts and <a href="https://languagecaster.com/category/podcast/">podcasts</a>. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at <a href="mailto:admin@languagecaster.com">admin@languagecaster.com</a>. 
 
Welcome 
DB: You're listening to the Learning English Through Football Podcast. Hi everyone, my name's Damon, one half of the languagecaster team. The other half is Damian, who we will hear from later in the show in our predictions section. Damian is based in a chilly London, and I am in Tokyo, Japan, which is also a lot cooler but is also nice and sunny this weekend. 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Welsh) 
Today's Show 
 
 
DB: Yes, you are listening to Languagecaster.com. And that message was in Welsh. 
 
And talking of Welsh, we had a nice message from @jamescuff on Bluesky with a list of terms for football in Welsh, including cefn y rhwyd - back of the net! Thanks for that James! So, what football language do we have on the show today. Well, we'll be talking about the word 'slump' and some phrases that are related to it. 
 
And after that, Damian is going to do our predictions section, talking about some big games this weekend. 
 
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Dutch) 
 
DB: Thanks for that message in Dutch. OK, let's start the show with a look at the word slump and how we use it to talk about football. 
Slump 
DB: Right, a slump is a bad run of form, a time of bad luck or bad results. If a team, for example, doesn't win for several matches, we can say they are in a slump or they are suffering a slump in form. <a href="https://languagecaster.com/english-through-football-podcast-2019-20-champions-league-tottenham-v-crvena-zvezda/">Form</a>, of course, is a team or a player's performance. We can use slump to talk about both teams and players. If a striker hasn't scored for a long time, they are in a slump. Another great expression for this situation is 'goal drought'; the player is suffering a goal drought. 
 
We can also use slump as a verb. A team can slump to a defeat. This gives the impression that they have been playing poorly recently and this is another bad result. To make this clearer we could say, they slumped to their third successive defeat or similar. 
Manchester City's Poor Form 
http://gty.im/2183155542 
 
Eleven games have been played so far in the Premier League and the favourites at the start of the season, Manchester City are in second place. They are five points behind the leaders, Liverpool. Manchester City have had a poor run of form recently; they have lost four games in a row. They are in a slump. In their last Premier League game, they slumped to their fourth defeat in a row against Brighton. 
 
In the <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/not-ideal-view-man-city-30377913">Manchester Evening News</a>, Man City midfielder Kovacic said, 'Manchester City's slump in form is 'not ideal' but is 'something that happens over the course of the season'. 
 
France 24 has this headline: 'Man City seek to end mini-slump as Liverpool soar'; followed by, 'Injury-hit Manchester City are desperate to snap their losing streak in their final Premier League game before the international break. 
Losing Streak 
In this, the slump is called a mini-slump,

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