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Learn English Through Football Podcast: Seal a Spot
In this football language podcast we look back at some of the language from this week’s European action, including the phrase ‘seal a spot‘. You can read the transcript for this podcast below 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.
Hello
DB: You’re listening to Languagecaster’s Learning English Through Football Podcast. Hi there everyone. Welcome to the Learn English Through Footbal l Podcast. I’m you host Damon, and I’m talking to you from a bright, sunny, but cold Tokyo. It is the end of January, so that’s no surprise.
I imagine it is chilly in London too, where Damian, the other half of the team is based. Maybe his team’s win, Tottenham, in the Europa League last night will warm him up a bit. How about where you are? What’s the weather like, and more importantly, how is your favourite team doing? Did they win, lose or draw this week?
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Persian)
DF: OK, that message, or stinger, was in Persian and we’ll be hearing some more languages throughout the show – test your knowledge of languages and try and guess what languages they are. Here’s one to get us started.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Turkish)
Today’s Show
Right, I just mentioned Damian’s team Tottenham and their 3-0 win against Swedish outfit, Elsborg. That means means Tottenham qualify for the last 16 knockout round. In this podcast, we will look at phrases that mean to qualify for, and different ways to say this in football.
To Seal a Place (Tottenham Hotspur)
Our first phrase is from a Guardian report on the Spurs vs Elsborg game: ‘it was at least heartwarming for Tottenham to seal their place in the last 16 of the Europa League thanks to three academy products…‘. In this sentence we have the verb phrase to seal a place – Tottenham sealed their place – in the last 16. To seal a place in the last 16 is to qualify for the last 16. The place is decided, it is sealed.
Let’s look at some variations for this phrase. First, we can change the noun ‘place’ for ‘spot’; so seal a spot in. A little less common is ‘berth’ – seal a berth in.
To Clinch a Spot (Liverpool)
We can also choose from a variety of verbs. So, rather than seal a spot in, we can say, secure a spot in, or clinch a spot in. This last pattern was used in ESPN’s report on the Champions League results: ‘one of the only two losses (in the top 12) was suffered by a Liverpool team that had already clinched a spot in the top two.‘
So, we have a lot of options to talk about qualifying with these words. We can change the noun: to secure a place, or spot, a berth. Or the verb: to secure, to seal, to clinch.
Remember, we also need to say what the team has qualified for: so, Tottenham secured a spot in the last sixteen in the Europa League. Liverpool clinched a place in the top two of the Champions League league stage.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Hungarian)
Be Through (Paris Saint Germain)
DB: Let’s move on to a slightly different pattern to mean to qualify for. We’ll also use the results from the Champions League final group matches for examples.
Perhaps the easiest way to talk about your team qualifying for the next round of a competition is to say, for example, ‘They are through to the last 16.’ ‘They’ is of course your team. So, we have the ‘be’ verb and ‘through to’.
PSG are through to the last 16 in the Champions League after Ousmane Dembélé helped the French side to a comfortable 4-1 win over VfB Stuttgart. In this kind of easy win, we can change the verb and use ‘cruise’: PSG cruised through to the last 16.
Scrape through (Manchester City
DB: For a team that qualified with difficulty, we can use ‘to scrape through’. One team that scrapped through to the last 16 in the Champions League were Manchester City, who had a nervy win against Club Brugge to secure a place in the knockout stage. Here is ESPN: ‘Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is not entirely sold on the new Champions League format after his team barely scraped through to the knockout round.’
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Uzbek)
DB: OK, let’s move on to the predictions section, and here’s Damian with a piece he recorded earlier.
DF: Right, it’s time for predictions and we’re going to look at four games from the Premier League for next weekend, starting off with in-form Bournemouth hosting top of the table Liverpool. And even though Bournemouth are playing really well, I still think Liverpool will have too much for them and they’ll win this one 2-1; 2-1 to the Reds.
Now, there’s a relegation battle at the bottom of the table, of course, between two teams who have just beaten my favourite team, Tottenham, that’s Everton and they’re at at home to Leicester. Leicester are not very good and Everton with their new manager David Moyes should have too much for them. I think they’ll win this one 2-0. And that would be their third win on the bounce; their third win in a row.
Now Arsenal playing Manchester City on Sunday in the big game, although really I wonder are they just playing for 2nd place behind Liverpool? This will finish 2-1 to City. Yes, City will win this away from home.
And finally, on Monday night, a London Derby, that’s west London against east London as Chelsea take on West Ham. West Ham have done OK recently under their new manager Graham Potter, but Chelsea will be too strong for them. And they’re gonna’ win this one 2-1. What do you think is going to happen in those games? Let us know by dropping us a line at admin@languagecaster.com.
DB: Interesting predictions from Damian. Listener, what do you think? I agree with all his result predictions except Bournemouth vs Liverpool, which I think will end up in a draw, maybe 2-2. But as for the other three games, yes, I think Everton, Man City, and Chelsea will all win.
Contact
DF: Right. If you have any questions about language of football or any comments on our podcast, then please contact us via e-mail at admin@languagecaster.com. Come along to our website and check out our Football Language Forum where you can ask and answer any questions you have on the language around football. And of course, don’t forget to come along to our huge glossary of football vocabulary. And we’d love it if you could spread the word about what we’re doing here. Give us a like, maybe follow us on social media. We’re on Instagram, Facebook and Blue Sky, YouTube and others.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Dutch)
Goodbye
DB: Brilliant stuff Damian. Yes, please do contact us, follow us, and give us some likes! Thanks for that final message, which was in Dutch – we also heard Persian, Turkish, Hungarian, and Uzbek. Thanks for listening today – we looked at phrases meaning to qualify: secure / seal / clinch a place or spot in; as well as be through, cruise through, scrape through.’ Let us know if you hear these phrases while watching football, in any language of course!
Enjoy all the football and we’ll be back early next week with a new football language expression. Ta-ra!
DF: Thanks everybody. Enjoy all the football this week. Bye.