You're listening to the Footglitch Podcast.
Love football, learn English.
Who will win the Premier League this season?
Who will be the top goalscorer?
Which teams will get relegated?
And what does the idiom to chomp at a bit mean?
Hello listeners, welcome back to the Footglitch Podcast.
My name is Denek Lukas and the Footglitch Podcast is your ticket to mastering English while immersing yourself in the world of football.
And before I introduce today's guest, I would like to say hello to a listener or viewer on the YouTube channel called Tuam.
He's from Vietnam, he's Vietnamese and he left a very positive comment on my YouTube channel praising what we do here and saying that he's a Gunnar, like me, an Arsenal fan.
He likes football, especially the Premier League, and he wants to improve his English.
So it seems like this podcast has ticked all the boxes for him.
I hope it's the same with you guys listening to this episode or whether you're watching it on the YouTube channel.
It's the same thing.
And let me welcome Paul on the Footglitch Podcast for the first time ever.
Hi, Paul.
Hi, Zanec.
It's a pleasure to be here.
Thank you for inviting me on.
It's a pleasure to have you here. And obviously it's not the first time we've done a lot of content together before on the YouTube channel.
So we know each other quite well.
Yes, I didn't know if you wanted me to say that.
So we do know each other well.
But yes, it's my first time on the Footglitch Podcast.
Yes.
Excellent.
It looks like you have really practiced because I've realized some guests, they struggle when they try to pronounce the name of this podcast for some reason.
It didn't roll off the tongue so easily then, I don't think, Zanec.
But I managed.
Actually, you know what?
It's getting better.
It was a bit hard for me as well the first few episodes, but now it's natural for me to say that.
It's a new word. It might end up in the dictionary.
That seems a bit too ambitious, Paul, but it would be nice.
Of course.
So, Paul, we are here to talk about the Premier League.
Let's do a small Premier League Season 24-25 preview.
How about that?
OK, let's do this.
Maybe before we get into that, maybe we should remind our listeners where they can find you.
So do you still have the same YouTube channel, Paul?
I still have the famous.
I don't know if I was going to say famous then.
The same YouTube channel, English for Football fans, in which I've made lots of videos trying to teach people football vocabulary.
Or just using football as a topic to learn English.
Very similar to what you do.
And then more recently, I've moved on to the Brazilian Football League.
And I've been recording live streams regularly with people in Brazil in English about the Brazilian Football League.
Because I think it's a really good league, really dramatic, lots of rivalry, lots of skill, lots of passion.
But there's not much out there, nothing really that is in English where you can learn about the league.
So I try to talk to Brazilians in English to promote the league.
But also because I enjoy it, because I enjoy the league and talking to Brazilians about football.
That definitely sounds like fun.
So if any of you listening to this podcast are from Brazil or are indeed interested in the Brazilian League, Paul is definitely your guy.
You should definitely check out his YouTube channel, English for Football fans.
So, Paul, let's get on with the Premier League preview then.
So my first question is, who do you think will win the title this time?
Will it be Manchester City again?
It could be. It could be.
I don't think Manchester City seemed as strong last season, to be honest.
But they still managed to win the league.
Arsenal keep getting stronger and they had a great chance last year, but just didn't manage to do it.
I think Arsenal could do it again.
You have a really strong defenders, good midfield, a manager that's like chomping at the bit.
He is so desperate to win something.
So, yeah, I think if I had to choose between Arsenal and Manchester City, I would probably choose Arsenal.
The question is, is that just a wishful thinking?
Don't we all want someone different to win it this time?
It's getting a bit tedious. It's getting a bit boring, predictable.
It's just quite similar to what used to happen in the German Bundesliga where Bayern Munich won every single season.
And how happy everyone was when Bayer Leverkusen did it last season, right?
Yeah, they had an amazing season, didn't they?
Yeah, to be honest, I wanted Manchester City to win the league last year.
Did you?
After Liverpool dropped off a little bit.
Yeah, I don't know. There's something about Arsenal that I don't really like.
That's what I was going to ask you.
Did you really want Manchester City to win or did you want Arsenal not to win?
I think it was more the second. I didn't want that.
And partly because it was clubs last year and we've always challenged Manchester City.
And if Arsenal beat Manchester City, it kind of gives their fans a bit more like, oh, we managed to beat Pep type of thing.
Yeah, like arrogance, arrogance.
I actually heard this from a lot of football fans supporting other teams.
Everybody was saying it. I would rather Manchester City won it because it happens every year.
So it's like nothing changes. You don't change the hierarchy of the arrogance among fans.
Yeah, and Arsenal fans can be, I don't know, I quite like Arsenal fans, I suppose.
But there's a few like YouTubers, there's a few people on TV who can be a bit arrogant, I suppose.
Yeah, and I don't love the team. I don't.
Gabriel, there's a couple of players I like at Arsenal, but there's a few that I think I don't like.
I've mentioned it before, haven't I?
You like the Brazilians.
No, I don't. I don't like Gabriel Jesus and I don't like Gabriel.
To be honest, I know you have more Brazilians.
What about Gabriel Martinelli?
Martinelli is good. I don't mind him.
Listen, I think Arsenal are looking really strong. It's been building for a few seasons.
You have this structure of what you play in. You don't concede many chances. You create chances.
You're dominant in most matches. I think Arsenal will have another really good season.
I think Calafiore, who could possibly play left back, he could possibly play centre back to give Gabriel and Saliba a rest, looks top quality.
He's our new signing who came from Bologna.
Yeah, he was good in the Euros and he looks top quality.
So I really think Arsenal will have a good season and are possibly more the favourites than Manchester City, who...
You think so?
They haven't played... I think because of financial fair play, they haven't been spending as much recently.
So it's finally catching up with them a little bit.
So Alvarez has now gone. Harland is a great goalscorer, but he doesn't link up play so much.
He barely has touches in some matches and I just think they don't look as good, but with Pep.
This is the thing. I almost feel like we said exactly the same last season. Manchester City don't look as good as before.
They were already rumoured to have breached all those rules last season.
And now it's here again. There's about to be a hearing next month.
I think they are already announcing it. I can hear there's a melody there. They are announcing the hearing.
That's the ice cream van. In the summer and even winter we sometimes have ice cream vans.
I was guessing it actually. So there was an article that actually got released today, came out that it's still on, that they might get punished.
If they are found guilty, they might get relegated because it's so many charges.
It's like 115 charges or something like that. So that's a lot.
Remember what happened to Everton? It wasn't just Everton, it was Nottingham Forest.
It was a big, big deal. It was just a few breaches. They have 115. Something has to happen, right?
I think so. So this has gone on for 15 years. Recently they've been following the rules.
So Man City, they are blatantly cheating. They are blatantly deceiving and delaying the process.
And it's really frustrating for everybody else because, OK, they haven't spent so much recently.
And they have won the matches on the pitch. And Pep Guardiola is an amazing coach.
But it's kind of as a result of their overspending and their inflated revenues. Every other club, not every other club, but Liverpool, my club, has played by the rules.
We haven't spent as much. And that's maybe because of our owners.
But it's frustrating and I'm bored of talking about them, to be honest.
Yeah, me too. And it's just how must Everton feel, for example, right? It's just something has to happen.
And the real question is, if they indeed get relegated, will it feel the same winning the league?
You know, or won't it be like similar? You know, like when Liverpool won that league in the COVID time, how did that feel?
Liverpool did not win it in the COVID time. The COVID lockdown started.
It was in March or something. And Liverpool were 27 points ahead.
Yeah, OK. Yes, they received the trophy. When that season stopped, it went behind closed doors.
Liverpool were 27 points ahead. It was a phenomenal team.
And it really affected Liverpool, to be honest, because it was the following season when Manchester City won it, when Liverpool were not trying.
No teams were really trying. Like there was no fans in the stadiums for like 80 per cent of the season.
It wasn't like that when, yes, when Liverpool won it, when they won the trophy, there was no one in the stadium.
And when the following year, there were people in the stadium at the end of the season. But anyway, yeah.
Anyway, what about this season then, Paul? Can you be a title contender? Because you were last season.
Yeah, we have a really good squad. To be honest, we do. We have a really good squad. I think with a couple short defensively, possibly.
Like we relied on Van Dijk, who was unbelievable last season. I think Alexis McAllister is the best player in the Premier League.
Like he's, for me, the best player in the Premier League. There is no one better than Alexis McAllister. Last season, he was incredible.
So hopefully he can have another big season for Liverpool. It's just whether the referees will give us decisions and whether our forwards will finish the chances, really, in the big games last year.
And every time there were some really dodgy decisions against Liverpool. And then also, like there were some big chances missed by our forwards, like lots of chances.
Salah is amazing, still looks fit and strong, but he needs, he's not, he's losing his finishing power a little bit, I think.
It takes him at least three or four chances before he scores. Darwin Nunes. Even more. Yeah, misses chances. He creates the chances, but he does miss the chances.
But then we've got like Luis Diaz, who, so Luis Diaz is similar. Like he creates chances. He's an amazing player, but he still missed some big chances for Liverpool last year.
So the biggest change, of course, is the departure of that charismatic manager that even neutrals really loved and respected. Jürgen Klopp. He decided to retire from football.
Yeah, it was nice hearing the respect from the wider football community when he was leaving, when it became a shock, because you only see people like kind of mocking him and complaining about Klopp.
But when it was like, wow, Klopp's retiring, the league's going to miss him. I think, yeah, he was incredible for Liverpool.
Just the brand, the brand of football, how charismatic he was, but also the brand of football that every one of his teams played.
Heavy metal football, you called it. Yeah, heavy metal football. Just like, even when Liverpool were winning 2-0 or 3-0, you never, I wasn't sure that they were going to win.
And they did most weeks, but they still played this game as if like they were still trying to score and still pushing up high.
Exciting for the fans, but equally sometimes a bit scary, right? Yeah, nail biting it was scary actually.
And that's what maybe this new coach is looking like he will bring. It looks like it's a bit more Manchester City. It's a bit more Arsenal.
There's two. Hang on. I have to say something. I've prepared this for a long, long time. Do you think that your new manager will slot in Liverpool? Well, do you think he will slot in?
He is slotting in well. Yes, I do think he, a lot of the newspaper headlines are using that slot. Oh, I didn't even know. I swear to God, I came up with it.
I take ownership of this phrase. Obviously his name being Arne Slot, right? Yeah, yeah. He is slotting in well, I think.
He looks like he's a man with a mission. He's a coach rather than a manager of the football club. So he doesn't have the charisma of Klopp.
Like he doesn't have these sound bites or this real like big personality, but he's got good social skills and he seems like a good coach.
And it looks like Liverpool are going to play with two sitting midfielders and like a number 10 kind of player, as well as the front three.
So it's a slight change in tactics, but it will mean that we will. He wants us to be counter resistant. So what does that mean?
Just like Liverpool used to get countered on quite a lot. I thought we push up a lot.
So yeah, counter resistance, a little bit more possession based, not as direct. I see. But I think that Liverpool have this directness anyway.
We have speed in the team. And so you have players for playing possession based football as well, let's be honest.
Like you mentioned, Michael Easter now, Soboslaw is very good as well. Salah, of course, is very technically gifted.
And you still have your your premium defender, Alexander Arnold. So, you know, not a bad team.
Yeah, we look good. We are the only team in the Premier League who have not signed a player.
But we have we have two or three people in every position, really, like a lot.
But you have signed through Twanister Roy.
Oh, did you know? No, it was sorry. It's Manchester United, right? We have got Johnny Heitinga.
Sorry, I'm confused about all these Dutch managers in the league.
Johnny Heitinga, who was at West Ham before, actually. Yeah, he's been at Everton as well.
So you have got your own. He's also an ex player. I remember him playing against the Czech Republic team, actually in the Euros.
So he's joined the Ericktenhark team at United.
Yeah, I'm excited. I'm excited.
I think Jota is a really good finisher and probably should start ahead of Nunes.
And then you have Gakpo and Diaz who want to play left wing.
And I like Gakpo, to be honest. I like Diaz. I like them both.
Gakpo was amazing in the Euros, right? He was really one of the best players of the Euros.
Yeah, he's really fast. He's direct.
I think Liverpool have played him a little bit out of position at times, but he's done well, I think. I like Gakpo.
Well, we will see. We will see where you finish. But I think you're definitely top four.
So let's let's try to predict this. I think we have the top three Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City.
Again, it sounds a bit boring, but I I personally don't think anyone else will be at this level personally.
Yeah. When you think about is it Aston Villa, Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur,
even like Crystal Palace are sneaking up, I suppose, get looking good. But yeah, I think the top three.
Pep Guardiola has shown that you need to get 90 points to win the league pretty much.
And I don't think any of those teams are going to get 90 points.
They won't be consistent enough. I think the problem they will have at Aston Villa is exactly the same kind of issue.
They had Newcastle because they are playing the Champions League this season.
So it will be hard for them to manage these both these competitions.
So I don't really expect them to be up there. Newcastle, they might they might have a comeback kind of.
But I'm not sure. I'm not sure.
Hmm. Manchester United will be much better. They did have lots of injuries last year.
And I think playing at Old Trafford, the support they have away from home, such a big club.
They have lots of players. It's strange that they still play Johnny Evans and Harry Maguire, but they just made two signings.
They did. But I think those players, I heard some of them are also injured.
They're defenders. There's some problems. And even the players, they got them.
They got them from Bayern Munich, right? One or two defenders from Bayern Munich.
Oh, actually. Yeah.
And well, this the rumor is that these are kind of Bayern Munich rejects. Is that fair? I don't know.
Yeah, I suppose it is. The Lith played for Juventus, didn't he?
And Juventus sold him to Bayern Munich and then Bayern Munich and now selling into Manchester United.
So, yeah, you would imagine that if these big clubs wanted to keep him, they would.
But he's a good player. He's better than Harry Maguire and Johnny Evans, I think.
So, but Eric Dyer was keeping him out of the team at Bayern Munich.
I see. So what about Chelsea then? What do you think can happen there?
Chelsea started looking really good at the end of last year, I thought. I enjoyed watching Chelsea.
Yep.
Salahama was amazing. Jackson was clicking. People were like, they looked really good. Gustav was good.
The midfielders, Gallagher and then Pachettino goes and it's like, rip it all up and start all over again.
Start all over again. And is James injured again?
He's in.
Poor guy. Every single time in the preseason he gets injured.
Wow. Yeah, he's such a good player as well. He's such a good player, isn't he?
Gustav will have to start again.
So Gustav is good. Yeah, in Kunku it looks like he's going to play.
He looks like a good player and a good player for fancy football as well.
Yeah, absolutely. Tottenham, they got Solanke from Bournemouth, right? Dominic Solanke. So that's a big signing.
Yeah, Tottenham will be good again. I think Tottenham have great players, really like outstanding players.
Medicine.
Yeah, just the defenders, I think. Van de Ven. Poro is a good player. Romero is a good player. Udoge is good.
They've got some really top class players. So, yeah, I think they will be strong. But are they going to get 90 points? Probably not.
I think they will be battling for fourth position.
You never know with them. They are capable of anything. But winning, right? The winning still kind of eluding them, to be honest.
Even Harry Kane won a game, some kind of tournament. What was it? You know, there are some cups now.
Was it? Yeah.
I don't understand. You have cups in pre-season where it's just the final. You have just two teams playing in that cup.
It's just for the sponsorship.
What kind of cup is that? And so Harry Kane beat Tottenham, I think, 3-2 or something. So he won a cup, but nothing for Tottenham.
No, again. Yeah, they need to win something. Tottenham need to win something. Arsenal need to win something.
Yeah, that's true. That's true.
So what do you think anyone will surprise? Maybe any of the newly promoted teams?
I think Manchester United will be good this year. The newly promoted teams. I think Southampton.
I know I didn't pay much attention to the championship and it looked like Ipswich. Ipswich never won the league. Who won the league?
Leicester. Leicester, sorry.
I think so, yeah. Yeah.
So, yeah, you would imagine Leicester and Southampton, who have been in the division recently, would have a bit more confidence and may have a bit more chance to stay in the division.
If Ipswich could as well. I don't predict much from either of them, to be honest. I think Crystal Palace will have a good season.
I think Everton always start strongly and then finish mid-table, I suppose. But I think Crystal Palace are looking good towards the end of last season. They play with five at the back. They have two attacking full backs.
So they still have Gahey. Is he not going anywhere?
It doesn't look like it, but I just think they could replace him. I don't think he's that great. He's good, but he's not irreplaceable.
England international now, so.
Yeah, he had a decent Euro, but not amazing for me. People were saying he's one of England's best players and he probably was, to be honest.
But overhyped.
It wasn't that good. Yeah.
OK. What about the top goalscorer?
Oh, you have to say Haaland, but I do think Jota.
Again, Haaland. Come on.
You have to come on. He's like, yeah, he just is a goalscorer, isn't he? He just hangs around by the goal, waiting for the ball. And yeah, he takes penalties.
Yeah.
He's in my fancy football team.
Yeah, I don't think you can play without him. He's the most expensive player in the fantasy football league, which, by the way, guys, you are all free to join.
There is a link in the description and you can join the Footglitch League, which is our fantastic mini league. We already have about eight people there.
So you can be one of them and you can compete against me. I hope Paul will join as well.
I will send me the link. I think you sent me a link to your podcast, but not the link to the league. Yeah.
Yeah, I will try to join.
Perfect. So, yeah, I agree with Haaland.
Jota. Jota is a good shot.
Jota is going to...
It's about him staying healthy, right? That's all it's about.
If he can stay fit. His game, he runs through brick walls. Jota, he's not the biggest of players.
You mean literally? Is that how he trains for his matches?
He just...
Imagine that. Just running through brick walls.
He's just a really tough player, to be honest. Like, just for his size and up against big genders.
If your name is Diego, you have to have something in you, right?
Yeah, possibly. Is Diego not just the Spanish David?
I wouldn't know, but it could be.
No, I don't know. No, they have probably David as well, don't they?
David, yeah. Italians have Davide, right?
Yeah.
David Raya, right? David Raya is the keeper, Arsenal keeper.
Spanish, isn't it? Yeah.
Diego Costa, right? Diego Maradona.
So, yeah, Diego Carlos for Aston Villa is a tough player as well.
What about the player hitting the post and bar the most?
Who do you think will it be?
It has to be Nunes, doesn't it?
It has to be Nunes, right?
Yeah.
Darwin Nunes.
Didn't he hit the woodwork five times, was it, in one match?
I think.
That seems to be too many times.
It was four.
At least three or four times, yeah.
It was four.
Even three is a lot, to be honest with you.
The most unlucky player in the Premier League.
Yeah. You know what? He's such a good player.
Well, it'd be foolish to sell him, I think.
You could see we sell him and then he starts scoring for another team.
Because he's got the pace.
And when you see him in training, when you watch Liverpool training,
he's got real quality and he just whips the ball in, like in the bottom corners.
He's got all the flicks and the tricks.
But when he's on a pitch...
You think it's in the head or something?
Yeah, it could be. It could be in the head.
But he doesn't link up well with other players either.
So, like, we're desperate for him to do well.
So it's a big season for him because this is now his third season.
And I don't know if the manager is going to trust him.
Do you trust him?
I don't know if I trust him, to be honest.
I'd rather have Jota starting up front.
Fair enough.
Yeah. But what's great about Liverpool is that we have five or six really good forwards.
So if Jota hasn't scored after an hour, Nunes comes on, Gakbo comes on.
Yeah. And I have to say, Mohamed Salah is in my fantasy team.
I managed to squeeze him in as well.
Yeah.
Somehow.
I had them both with Saka up until last weekend when Liverpool was friendly.
And I just thought I need to play Jota.
So I've chosen Jota, which doesn't feel right.
I haven't chosen a head of Salah, but it just means I now can have a couple of Arsenal defenders, maybe.
I think the fantasy league this season is much, much harder.
It seems like the prices are higher and it's really difficult to build a team.
I have Haaland, Salah and Isak.
And then my other players are not that glamorous.
Yeah. I had similar. And I had Saka as well.
I had those three and Saka. So the rest of the team, the highest, the most well-priced defender,
highest priced defender was four and five million in my team.
So I've changed Salah to Jota.
I can't remember. Do I still have Trent? I think I may have sold him or I still have him.
I can't remember anymore because I keep changing it.
It's the first draft. You know, you want to make the right decision.
But at the end of the day, we are probably not going to win.
It's played by 10 million people, but it's a fun game.
I hope you guys join us. Come on. It's a free game.
And it's fun because every team you make your team, then you get points and you end up enjoying the Premier League matches more.
OK. Last question, Paul. I want to ask you about your prediction as to the relegated teams.
Oh, I suppose Manchester United and Everton.
Oh, yeah. Man City because they brought the hearing forward.
Yes, I'm being serious, kind of facetious at the same time.
Yeah, true. So Man City, Ipswich.
Who was not so good last year? You've got teams like I think Fulham were quite, I like Mark or Sylvia, Brentford.
Brentford seems to be fading away a little bit. Yeah.
Or Muthpropel maybe as well. Without Salonka, they might struggle.
As for Leicester, there is a link. I don't know if you know this player Adam Hlozek, the Czech international.
He was a substitute at Bayern Leverkusen last season. He barely got any minutes.
But every time he comes on, he's always quite a decent player.
He's still like 22 years old and there's a really, really strong link with Leicester now.
So I would like him to be there because I think he would play.
Yeah, I think Leicester will struggle really as well.
Southampton will struggle. It's hard to predict really.
It's so difficult, isn't it? You have teams like Brentford, for example, who are maybe established in the league now.
I don't think they will be relegated, but they have to spend like £50 million every year, maybe just to stay in the league.
So, yeah, it's difficult for teams coming up.
One team we didn't mention is West Ham United, who got a ton of signings.
Good signings. They are really going for it.
I think European football might be a real possibility this season for them.
Yeah, good signings. And I still think Bowen is the main man.
He will be the captain as well, probably, right?
I have Bowen in my team, in my fancy football team. I think he is one that I just think...
You know what? I should get him too now. You've convinced me.
Who do I take out? I can't take Esay out. Oh my God.
I think he will score more points than Esay. I think he will.
All right. Well...
That's my prediction. Bowen will get more points.
Now I have a bee in my bonnet about this. We will see.
All right, Paul, fantastic to talk to you.
This must be one of the longest podcasts I've done on this Footglish podcast.
I still have to do the language corner, so that one will be shorter.
Thank you very much. I hope it's not the last time. Next time we talk, maybe we discuss some Liverpool games or something like that.
Yeah, thank you, Zane. Great to chat.
All the best. Take care and thanks for being here. Bye bye.
Bye bye.
Welcome back to the language corner. As always in this part of the show, as an English teacher,
it's my duty to teach you something to clarify a piece of language, whether it's vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation.
And today I would like to talk about the phrase to chomp at a bit, which is something that Paul used when he was talking about Miguel Arcteta.
He said that Arsenal has a manager that is always chomping at a bit.
What does that mean? It actually means that you are impatient to do something you can't wait, you are kind of excited and restless.
And that's exactly what this means.
And that's exactly who Miguel Arcteta is, because you always see him very animated and always eager to motivate his team.
And he gives you that impression of a manager that is chomping at a bit.
Now, this phrase actually comes from horses.
To chomp at the bit, which was the original version of this phrase, basically meant that you were doing that the horse was, you know how horse has the reins and there is a bit in their mouth?
That this is something that humans created in order to control the horses, I suppose.
And when the horse is chomping at that bit, that horse is restless.
He is impatient at the fact that the horse is being restrained, right?
So he's trying to bite repeatedly and restlessly.
And it's called chomping for some reason.
So that's where this comes from.
If you're chomping, as it's used now, at a bit, it means you're kind of impatient, eager to do something, right?
And that's exactly who Miguel Arcteta is.
So personally, I'm kind of chomping at the bit now because we are about to start a new season of the Premier League.
The Premier League is literally just around the corner.
So, of course, after the Euros, this is something I've been looking forward to a lot.
And thank you very much, guys, for listening to this episode of the Footgrish podcast.
Please don't forget to join the Fantasy League.
You have only a few days left until the deadline.
You can still join after the deadline.
But the problem is you will have missed the first round, which means you will have lost the points if you do that.
And you don't want to lose the points, do you?
So make sure that you create your fantasy team by Friday afternoon because the first game of the season is on Friday.
We are talking about Friday the 16th.
This is in August.
So make sure you create your team and click the link in the description of this episode in order to join the Footgrish podcast mini league.
And we can compete against each other and have a lot of fun together.
OK, well, that's, I guess, everything for today's episode of the Footgrish podcast.
Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't done that already.
And I will speak to you soon. Bye bye.