You're listening to the Footglish podcast. Love
football, learn English. How did the Slovaks
manage to defeat Germany, who hadn't lost an
away qualification game before? How did the Polish
team do in their first two qualification games?
Did the Czech Republic team play well against
Montenegro? And what does the saying a new broom
sweeps clean mean and how is it used in English?
Hello and welcome to another episode of the FootGlish
podcast. This is a podcast for English learners
who love the beautiful game. Do you guys know
what the beautiful game is? Of course, it is
football. And I'm today joined by Tomas, who
has been on this podcast before. Hello, Tomas.
Hello. Thank you for having me once again. It's
a pleasure to be here. Anytime. I think you've
become somewhat... a regular here on this podcast
which is great and we are here today to discuss
the results of the slavic teams of the slavs
so you are representing poland of course i'm
representing my country the czech republic but
we could also touch upon the games of slovakia
and possibly ukraine too are you ready to start
oh i am ready it's time for for national competition
once again and that's that's always great nice
so last thursday we are recording on uh monday
early evening let's say and the the first game
of the qualification um interlal was actually
uh slovakia of the slavic teams was actually
slovakia germany which was the most shocking
result the biggest upset did you watch that game
or did you Did you see the highlights at least?
Well, I've seen the highlights and many commentaries
afterwards because I, as you know, I live in
Germany. So it's a very interesting topic for
me. But the game of Poland was at the same time.
So I watched Poland, of course. Yeah, this is
exactly the same time. And actually... i got
the message from you that germany is not only
not leading but it's losing to slovakia yeah
that was the message i saw and then i started
i started uh watching both games i was watching
the slope slovak game because yeah it was under
unbelievable result and a performance from slovakia
david hansko scored their first goal and then
they added one more through Strelet and yeah
it's a great result now they are top of the league
in a difficult group with Germany in it and what's
to say about it well perhaps we should say that
Germany haven't actually lost a qualification
match away from home yeah in the history of qualifiers
so this is like the first time it happened in
history i couldn't believe it when i saw it yeah
apparently so i couldn't believe it when i saw
it but it turns out to be true so it's like we
are talking about 50 52 games of not losing an
away game so that is an incredible achievement
for slovakia to be that team that break that
and um yeah i know they've lost i know they've
lost in poland once but maybe it wasn't world
cup qualification maybe it was the euro qualification
that's why yeah but the i i think i think you
mean the the world cup uh koi so that's it it's
it's amazing to be honest and yeah what do you
think about the game you you've seen it all and
so my impression was it wasn't a lucky win no
no no not at all incredible game of slovakia
the thing about about slovaks yeah they are an
interesting nation yeah so they they are just
capable of anything sometimes when they get sort
of into trance it's almost like they get into
the zone or something it's like a trance they
they are like they can have they can put in a
heroic shift yeah they're like unbelievable sometimes
i i don't really see this from the czech team
ever but then they they can also be an average
team slovaks because for example their second
game they they barely they barely managed to
beat luxembourg away they scored a goal in the
90th minute so not only this They have also lost
a goal in this game that was once again taken
away by the video assistant referee. So they
were really close to losing against Luxembourg.
And it's really interesting what it could be
that just as you said, they have invested everything
in this first game. And I have to say, I haven't
seen... The defenders of the German team, they
were confused for years. And they had some games
in which they weren't perfect. But this game
was really something. The pressure that they
came under was absolutely incredible. did a great
job and i think absolutely they will be one of
the teams who will try to to win the group because
the germans played a second game against north
ireland and it wasn't this good also they they
won but there is some trouble in this in this
team so the slovaks i'm looking forward to seeing
more they have a chance the thing is It comes
down to them beating everyone else, right? And
then if they lose against Germany, it will all
boil down to the goal difference. Yeah, probably.
It's not over yet. Germans could still win it,
you know. Yeah, that's the point. We'll see.
We'll see. We have to wait. wait and see and
what about the polish game then against the netherlands
so you were you were one nil down and then you
managed to equalize right how did you see that
game we went through some very difficult period
and to be honest the most polish fans didn't
have any high hopes so we just hoped that we
wouldn't have lost five nil or six nil it would
already be considered great from the polish fans
but the new manager that came to the team had
of course once again taken levandowski as a captain
it was clear that it it has to happen And this
first game against the Netherlands was incredibly
well played in every part of the field by the
Polish team. We had to defend a lot, but it was
a very decent defense, which, just like it is
in football, a little bit of luck. But they stayed
very consistent. They stayed very good, well
organized. And then at some point, they got discouraged
to play forward more and more. Nice. And equalized
with style with the wonderful goal of Matty Cash,
who is the player of Aston Villa. And didn't
he also score in your second game, which you
played against Finland, right? You also won your
second game, which was played yesterday against
Finland. He scored the equaliser, right? He scored
the equaliser in the game against Netherlands.
And then the first, very important first goal
in the game against Finland. And that was this
first goal of the second game that was missing
in the game of Slovakia, to open the score. Exactly.
You need to do that. Get on the board, on the
scoreboard. and that was really important because
afterwards there were there came more levandowski
scored one and then um we got the third one in
the in the second uh half so yeah so so four
points decent games it's really very surprising
how can a team change in such a short period
because Those were months without a manager,
without a strategy for the future. And now, thanks
to those two games, everything's possible. A
new broom sweeps clean, is the phrase. I think
so, that's the case. I think so too. Actually,
I think it was really important for you that
he started playing Lewandowski again, as you
said, because obviously we still remember you
talking about... this Lewandowski situation on
this podcast. We've recorded one before or at
the beginning of summer or something. And so
this is resolved now. I think the atmosphere
is better. Four points under your belt after
two qualification matches. Arguably the most
difficult one behind you. The one away from home
in the Netherlands. So that's a real positive.
And now you just have to see what happens next.
Congratulations to our neighbors in Poland. And
well, our team, the Czech Republic, we played
on Friday. And I have to say, I wasn't watching
this game with 100 % of concentration because
I was also hosting a board game weekend in my
house. So I had some friends over as I was playing
board games and had the TV on the side. It was
my laptop on the, like in the corner of the room
so that I... Obviously wanted to play with my
friends. And when I turned it on, it was three
minutes into the game and I saw our players celebrating.
So I didn't even see the first goal. We opened
the scoring really early. And that was important.
And actually the first 10 minutes from our team
were amazing. But then gradually Montenegro got
into the game. It was a bit nervy towards the
end of the game. It could have gone either way.
They could have equalised, but we had our goalkeeper,
Stanek. He really made a few great saves and
then we killed the game off with another goal
in the added time. And so 2 -0 at Montenegro,
I think is a good result. It wasn't perfect,
I think. There were a lot of problems with our
play, but three points against Montenegro. We
are currently top of the group, but that's because
Croatia have... Is it either one or two games
in hand? Two games. Two games less. So the situation
is that they beat us at home. I think it was
5 -0 or something like that. And now they are
in a very comfortable position. it's really tough
for us even if we beat them at home they will
probably because of this uh goal difference they
will probably still win the group so we we need
them to drop points somewhere and that's not
gonna happen so i think we are just our our aim
should be to secure the second place and just
to try to uh get through into the world cup through
the playoffs yeah well I have to say I watched
the game of Czech Republic. Oh, you did? Yes,
I was your substitute because you couldn't, so
I did it for you. Nice, thank you. Crossing my
fingers. And I have to say, just like you said,
the Czechs started really well. I thought it
would be a very high win. Then, just... as always
in Montenegro, the things got messy. So Montenegro
is a team who plays really physical football,
who can confuse every team of the globe with
what are they playing, what are they doing. And
there was this phase of confusion in the faces
of the Czech team. So they really played well.
And they managed not to lose a goal. And I think
that was actually a great game from the Czech
team. Not to concede a goal, yeah. Yes, not to
concede a goal. That was incredible because Montenegro
is a very, very hard team to play away. I hope
Croatia can drop points there. This is our only
hope, I suppose. it can happen i can remember
we we also had some experience uh the polish
national team with uh playing in podgorica i
think that that's the that's the the city yeah
and they i can remember a great goal of uh lukasz
piszczek our ex national team player who played
for borussia dortmund for many years and he scored
a magnificent goal against montenegro once so
it's Always a very, very tough place to play
also. Because the stadium is playing with the
national team. They are creating this incredible
atmosphere that they are very proud of. So the
Czechs did pretty well. And I had some doubts.
And I thought it could be that in the stoppage
time of the second half. uh for example the montenegro
would equalize so what checks did scoring another
goal was great so i think yeah and they left
it to to the late moment which was yeah i wish
it had happened earlier but it is what it is
and uh three points on under our belt and uh
it's the second time we beat them in the qualification
group as well so uh that's gonna be be really
hard for them to bounce back in that group because
of those two defeats But also we could mention
the result of Ukraine, which I have to be honest.
I did not watch and they played. I don't think
they were the home team Ukraine, but I don't
think they played in Ukraine because of the war
situation. I don't actually know where they played,
but they faced France. They took on France and
they lost 2 -0. Well, I have this information
for you because they played in Poland. Ah, they
played in Poland. Was it in Wroclaw last year?
Yes, it was in Wroclaw. I think it was in Wroclaw.
I'm checking, but it was in Wroclaw. I went to
the Czech Republic -Ukraine game in Wroclaw last
year. You might remember. Yes, I remember well.
I did a podcast about it one year ago here. So,
2 -0. They lost 2 -0 to France, to be honest.
France is just one of the best teams in the world.
I saw the... the stats from this game and it
turns out that mbappe scored once as well and
looking at the the number of shots on goal and
off of target as well uh is more or less in uh
France's favor uh significantly so I guess they
deserve to win yeah that it's a great stop did
their best Ukraine did their best they they have
a an opportunity to fight against Iceland and
Azerbaijan that they have in their group. So
they can qualify for the next stage. It's that
everything's possible. But of course, against
France, you have to... Second place should be
realistic for them and then just... I think so.
Actually, Czech Republic might face them at some
point in the playoffs. It will be tough because
I think the way the playoffs works these days
is that you have got like a semi -final. Then
if the winners of... the semifinal in the final,
only one of the four teams goes through. So it's
really ruthless there. Really tough. Okay, Tomas,
I think that's it. If any of you guys enjoyed
listening to this podcast, then you can give
us a like on the YouTube channel because this
was also recorded as a video. The Teachers' Daniek
YouTube channel. Tomas, is there something we
could promote for you as well? Well, I don't
think so. You're a teacher. I'm waiting now only
for the next game of Poland. And my teaching,
I'm not very active in my teaching now. I am
learning languages more at the moment. So I think
we'll concentrate on football today. I see. I
see. Well, that's cool. Okay, then. So good luck
to you, to your team. Thank you very much for
joining me today. And if you didn't have enough
of Tomáš talking to me about football, then there
is another show, which is called Heroes of the
Week, which we are recording sort of subsequently.
So you can tune in for that as well on the Teachers
.net YouTube channel. Thank you very much, Tomáš.
And until next time. See you next time. Bye.
Bye. Welcome back to the Language Corner. And
as always, in this part of the show, I'm going
to become an English teacher. Wait a minute.
I already am an English teacher, so I don't have
to become one. But what I would like to say is
that this is my opportunity to showcase my skills
as an English teacher. That's right. Here comes
the time when I actually explain or clarify some
of the vocabulary that appeared, that cropped
up. In this very interview with Tomáš, and because
I've got quite a few items this time, let's get
started straight away. So, basically, I was talking
about Slovaks, about the Slovak national team
and their heroic performance against Germany
and how they managed to do the unthinkable, to
beat Germany, the team that... hadn't lost an
away game ever in the qualification scenarios.
As far as I know, this is what they said. They
had never lost a qualification game until they
played against Slovakia. And I said, when they
get into trance, into the zone, they can put
in an amazing shift. So, let's... let's see what
we can say about this so what's a trance first
of all a trance is basically a state in which
you are you know half awake half sleeping or
something like that you are in a sort of a hypnotic
state it also happens to be my favorite music
style my favorite kind of music And it's basically
some sort of electronic music with a lot of melody
and stuff. So trance is basically a state of
mind, right? It's a state of mind. And they get
into this trance. It's like they are in a different
place almost and suddenly they start playing
so well, the slow wax. It can happen to them.
I've seen it before. With this nation, I think
it's because they are emotional people. I also
said they get into the zone. And if you are in
the zone, that's a lovely little phrase, which
means that you are focused and the skill that
you have comes out. effortlessly you are basically
performing at your best you are doing the activity
with high energy and you are fully immersed and
then it all leads to extraordinary success so
basically for example if a performer or podcaster
or english teacher are in the zone well this
is when you are the best that you have ever been,
right? Everybody wants to get into the zone.
Everybody wants to be in the zone, especially
comedians, stand -up comedians, people like that,
people that have to entertain, people that have
to make jokes. It's not always easy, right? If
you're at your average, maybe it's not enough,
but you want to get into that zone. Similar sort
of phrase to... to the trance, really, in this
context. And I also said that they can put in
an amazing shift. A shift is another way to say
performance. They can perform well, basically,
really well. They can perform an extraordinary
amount of work, effort and give a very effective
performance, especially in a job or activity
like a sports match. That's right. Right. Then
I was talking about the new Polish national coach,
the national team coach. And I use this saying
a new broom sweeps clean. So, you know what a
broom is used for, right? If you have a lot of
dust or some dirt on the ground, on your floor,
you need to use a broom to sweep it, right? And
if the broom is old, then maybe it doesn't sweep
very well. Maybe it leaves out some spots. So
it's not a perfect cleaning job. However, if
you buy a new broom, then obviously it will be
more effective. And we use it to describe someone's
role. Usually it's someone in charge, a manager
or, I don't know, the head of a company or something.
In this case, a football manager. And when you
replace that football manager, suddenly it starts
clicking. It starts working well because a new
broom always sweeps clean, right? And a similar
phrase is the manager bounce, right? When you
get the manager bounce, that means that the new
team often performs well, even if they are overperforming,
right? Okay. And then I also said that Croatia
have two games in hand, which means they have
still two games yet to play because everybody
needs to play the same number of matches, right,
in a league table. And Croatia still haven't
played two games. So we say you have a game in
hand or two games in hand if you still haven't
played those games. I guess that's it. Guys,
as always, I will have to ask you to support
me. I say I will have to. I want to. I want to
do this because I might as well. You know, when
you are doing something like this, when you have
a podcast, a YouTube channel, you need people.
Without people, you are nothing. Without viewers,
listeners. So now I'm addressing you guys, my
audience. Could you please give this video a
like and also subscribe? to the Teachers' Danek
YouTube channel. And why not leave a comment?
Have you watched any of the qualification games?
Or why don't you tell me why you don't watch
any qualification games and you prefer the club
football, perhaps? Anything will do, any kind
of comment. Just please keep it polite. That's
all I'm asking for. Even if you disagree with
me, disagreeing is always fine, as long as you
keep it respectable. which 99 % of people can
do, but you always have that 0 .1 % of idiots.
They are everywhere. Anyway, thank you very much
for listening and watching and I'll speak to
you soon. Take care for now.