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In this football language podcast we look ahead to the 2021-22 Premier League season which starts this weekend. We look at some of the teams that will be fighting for the title, as well as some of the dark horses while we also look at some of the sides who may face a relegation battle. You can read a 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: 2021-22 Premier League Preview
DF: Hello everyone, this is Damian from the Learning English Through Football team. I hope we are all doing well and looking forward to the new football season. It’s just me today but we’ll be hearing from Damon who of course is in Tokyo over the next few weeks as we look at the language of football from the new season.
So, on today’s show we preview the 2021-22 Premier League season and ask which teams have a real chance of winning the title, which ones can finish in the top four and which ones may be facing a relegation battle.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Arsenal fan).
Possible Winners
DF: So, last season’s Premier League winners Manchester City will start out as favourites for this season’s trophy. They have already added Aston Villa and England star Jack Grealish to their squad for £100 million – a huge transfer fee – while they are also interested in signing Tottenham captain Harry Kane for an even bigger sum. But even if they don’t sign the Spurs talisman they should still lift the trophy next May.
Which teams will challenge them? Well, Chelsea, the current Champions League and European Super Cup holders, look like they will push them closer than last year when they finished 19 points adrift in third. The Blues have just signed Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku for a club record £97.5 million and of course will have had a pre-season with their coach Thomas Tuchel so that’s why many pundits are tipping them to do well. Manchester United finished runners-up last season and have made some astute signings – young England forward Jadon Sancho for £75 million from Bundesliga side Dortmund and World Cup and Champions League winner Raphaël Varane from Real Madrid. But will this be enough to see United win their first title since 2013? The other team that has a real chance of lifting the Premier League trophy is Liverpool who of course won back in 2020. They have their key defender Virgil van Dijk back after almost a year out through injury and this has been described as ‘almost like a new signing‘ such will be the impact of the Dutch defender. Liverpool still have their famous front three of Firmino, Sane (Mané!) and Salah, and if they steer clear of injuries then they may well have a chance to win back their title.
Top Four
Of course, the four teams we have mentioned will probably fill the top four places this season but there are a couple of sides who will be trying to break through. Last year, in fact in the past two years, Leicester have fallen at the final hurdle to miss out on Champions League football. If Jamie Vardy can keep playing at the highest level and the team avoids injuries, which they suffered with last year, then they may have a shout. West Ham finished sixth last year but not many pundits are predicting a repeat this year, particularly as they have not added any new signings. Tottenham’s season’s chances hangs on whether their forward Kane – top scorer and assist provider last season – stays or moves to Manchester City. A top four place is probably out of their reach but a season of calm re-building would not be such a bad thing at all.
Relegation Battle
It is always tough for the newly-promoted sides to stay in the top division and this season will be no different with Norwich, Watford and Brentford, who are playing for the first time in the top tier for over 70 years, will all find it tough to avoid the drop. Other teams that may face a battle this year include Newcastle, another team with no signings made, Southampton who have sold many of their players and Burnley although we always tip them to go down and every year they prove us wrong!
Top Scorer
As I mentioned, last season’s Golden Boot winner was Harry Kane with 23 goals and he will once again be among the favourites – no matter which team he plays for. The Liverpool players Salah and Mané have also won this title in recent years and no doubt will feature again, while Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku will be hoping to challenge. A dark horse? How about Aston Villa’s Danny Ings, Brentford’s Ivan Toney, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Leeds’ Patrick Bamford or Chelsea’s Kai Havertz or maybe even Tottenham’s Son-Heung Min?
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Japanese).
Predictions and Polls
OK, what do you think will happen in this year’s Premier League? You can let us know by sending us an email at admin@languagecaster.com or leaving a comment on our site or simply coming along to our poll and make your choices.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Welsh).
Good Bye
DF: Yes, you are listening to languagecaster.com and that message was in Welsh. Don’t forget that there’s a transcript to this podcast and lots of vocabulary support which you can access by coming along to our site. Remember that you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or you can drop us a line at: admin@languagecaster.com.
OK, that’s it for this short podcast – we hope you have enjoyed our preview of the 2021-22 Premier League season. Let us know about your predictions and of course about any words and phrases you hear throughout the season. Enjoy all the football this weekend and we’ll see you again soon. Bye bye.
Free football language podcast for learners of English brought to you by Damian and Damon. Interviews, match reviews, predictions all with full language support for football fans around the world who wish to improve their English language skills.
