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This week’s main report is from our archives and was first published in October 2008, six years ago. How would you describe Brazilian football? German football? Or Italian football for that matter? On this week’s show we ask some fans to describe the playing styles and characteristics of six top footballing nations.. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link above and can read the transcript of the report (below) where you will also find explanations of key vocabulary (in bold).For English learners and teachers try the worksheet 
World Football Stereotypes
World Footballing Stereotypes
Damon: OK. Germany
Tim: Germany… efficient.
Damon: Italy.
Tim: Italy… tactical, a little bit conniving and lucky.
Damon: Argentina:
Tim: Creole football, dribbling, and playing the ref.
Damon: England
Tim: Bottlers, bad penalty takers, WAGs.
Damon: Brazil.
Tim: Flair, style, overweight strikers.
Damon: Holland.
Tim: Good tradition, bad present.
***
Damon: Germany
Ed: Unfortunately successful.
Damon: Italy.
Ed: Prima donnas
Damon: Argentina:
Ed: Hard workers.
Damon: England
Ed: Victory!
Damon: Brazil.
Ed: Style
Damon: Holland.
Ed: Underperformers.
***
Damon: Germany
Hans: Excellent team, always in finals, work hard. team mentality
Damon: Italy.
Hans: Hot and cold. They’re winners and losers and sometimes cheats – like to dive, but technically very strong.
Damon: Argentina:
Hans: Very strong, very tough mentally and physically – all round solid soccer team.
Damon: Brazil.
Hans: Often referred to as a sort of a samba, stylish, like to dance, play, dribble, but mentally again hot and cold, sometimes very weak.
Damon: England
Hans: England always promise more than they deliver. Great players, but as a team seem to lack the mentality to go all the way.
Damon: Holland.
Hans: Traditionally, beautiful to watch, but seem to collapse at the quarter final stage, so mentally not as strong.
***
Damon: OK, Germany
John: Complex.
Damon: Italy.
John: Conniving, cunning, always looking for the opportunity. Capable of the most exhilarating moments and some of the most stupifyingly boring moments all in the one game.
Damon: Argentina:
John: Almost always entertaining.
Damon: Brazil
John: I’ve got nothing for you.
Damon: England.
John: Perennial under-performers. Disappointingly under-performing. Amazing individual talent that they never seem to be able to put together into a team performance.
Damon: Holland.
John: Holland always seems very organised on the field, but accompanied by all the stories of in-fighting and who’s not getting on with whom, but it generally looks good on the field.
***
Simon: Tendency to be cynical… efficient and robotic… the beautiful game… under-achievement and disappointment … total football historically… beautiful on their day but can be dirty.
Vocabulary
conniving: cunning, clever (negative meaning)
to dribble: to move with the ball at your feet,take a lot of touches and beat opposition players
to bottle: to lack courage at an important moment; to give up; to let nerves beat you
prima donna: someone who things they are a star (but others do not agree); someone who wants to be treated like a king or queen
hot and cold: sometimes very good, sometimes terrible
