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Learn English Through Football Podcast: Set up
In this week’s football-language podcast we look back at some language from the Champions League semi-final second legs and in particular the multiple meanings of ‘set up‘. We will also look at some predictions from some big games this weekend including West Ham hosting Arsenal. You can read the 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 about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
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Hello
DF: You’re listening to the Learn English through Football Podcast.
Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well. This is Damian from the Learn English through Football Podcast team and I am based here in London where many Arsenal fans will be delighted after reaching this year’s Champions League final after they beat Atletico Madrid this week. They will face the current holders PSG who overcame Bayern Munich. I wonder did the other member of the Learn English through Football team, Damon, see these matches?
DB: Hi Damian, I managed to see some good highlights of both games. While the PSG versus Bayern game wasn’t as exciting as the first leg, the quality shown by both teams was clear. I think Arsenal will have a very tough job holding off the PSG team in the final. The French team are packed full of attacking threat all over the pitch. I wonder if Arsenal’s solid defence and set-piece strength will be enough.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Chichewa – Malawi)
DB: And thanks for that message, which was in Chichewa spoken in Mali. We will have more messages like that throughout the show. And how many of these languages will you be able to recognise? We’ll have the answers at the end of the show. Damian what are we going to focus on today?
Today’s Show
DF: Right, on today’s show we will look at a phrase that came out from those Champions League semi-finals and in particular from the PSG-Bayern game. This phrase is ‘to set up‘ and it has multiple meanings in football and we’ll be taking a look at three of them. We also have some predictions for some of the big games at the business end of the season and all three of them are derbies that affect either the top or the bottom of the table.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Cantonese)
DF: OK, what language do you think that was? I will give you a clue – it is a language from Asia. And if you can, send us a message like that saying, ‘You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast‘ in your language, or maybe you could add your name and which team you support as well. We’d be really happy to hear from you. Just record your short message and send it on to: contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in French)
DF: Right, next up we are going to take a look at the different meanings of the verb ‘to set up‘.
Set up (assist)
DF: OK, the verb to set up has multiple meanings and the first one I am going to look at has the meaning of assisting a player to shoot or score. So, we can say that a player has set up a chance or has set up a goal. We can also add a player’s name after this phrase to show that one player has helped another player to score or to shoot. For example, Rooney set up Ronaldo with a wonderful pass. And this means that Rooney passed to Ronaldo who was a in a good position then to score. To set up another player with a chance.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish)
Set up (the team)
DB: Right, I’m going to look at a second meaning of the verb phrase ‘to set up‘, which refers to how a coach or manager organises the team and prepares them for a match. ‘To set up the team‘ means to choose the formation, such as 4‑3‑3 or 3‑5‑2, and giving specific roles and tactical instructions to the team and individual players.
When a team is ‘set up‘ well, players understand their positions, responsibilities, and how they should work together. The phrase is often used to describe tactical decisions, for example: ‘The manager set the team up to play defensively’ or ‘The team was set up to press high’. The team can also be set up badly too, usually resulting in a defeat or poor performance.
We can also say get the team set up defensively, have the team set up to attack, and also use the phrase as a noun phrase – the team set up was poor.
In the Champions League semi final second leg between PSG and Bayern Munich, PSG set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Dembélé, Doué, and Kvaratskhelia the top three. The set up for Bayern was a 4-3-2-1, with Harry Kane leading the attack.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Hindi)
Set up (the final)
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DF: Another meaning of this phrase is when we describe a team winning a cup tie and who they will play against in the next round. So, for example this week PSG defeated Bayern Munich to set up a meeting with Arsenal in the final. Here are a couple of examples from the BBC and ESPN:
- Paris St-Germain set up a Champions League final against Arsenal as they overcame Bayern Munich to stay on course to retain their crown. (BBC.co.uk, 2026)
- PSG hold off Bayern to set up UCL final with Arsenal (ESPN)
In the first example, ‘PSG set up a final against Arsenal’ tells us that their win means they will play in the final. The second example is similar but they use the verb ‘to hold off’ which tells us that they beat Bayern though possibly in a difficult manner; it was a tough game. To hold off a team means to beat them but probably only just!
So, to set up a final describes which two teams make it to the next round. To set up the team means to organise the team and to set up a goal means to assist a goal. So there were the three meanings of to set up.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Japanese)
Predictions
DB: Right, let’s turn our attention to predictions and we’ve got three big games to look at this week: one in the Premier League, West Ham versus Arsenal; another, north of the border in Scotland, is the Old Firm derby, Celtic against Rangers. And we also have El Clásico, Barcelona v Real Madrid. Damian, let me start with my predictions for the clash between the two London teams.
Premier League: West Ham v Arsenal
DB: Right, West Ham are battling relegation and Arsenal are going for the title. Both teams need the three points in this game. I think there will be lots of goals in this tie with the form book pointing to an Arsenal win. Depending on Tottenham’s result, that would probably mean the drop for the Hammers (West Ham). I’ll go with goals and ignore the form book and go for a 2-2 draw.
Damian, what do you think as a Tottenham fan and your team sitting one point above West Ham in the relegation zone?
DF: I know that West Ham will be fighting for their lives so they will make it difficult for Arsenal but the Gunners have had a great week and will be confident. I am going for a 3-1 Arsenal win. How about the Old Firm derby, Damon?
Scottish Premiership: Celtic v Rangers
DB: So these two teams, Celtic and Rangers are now in the last phase of the season, where the twelve teams are split into the top six and bottom six. The Glasgow teams are in the top half and Celtic sit second in the Champions League spots and three points behind Heart of Midlothian, and Rangers are third and three points behind their big rivals. Playing at home is obviously a big advantage and I think Celtic will stay in second place in the league with a 1-1 draw in this match.
How about you Damian?
DF: Yes, I agree that this will finish in a draw – maybe 2-2 with some red and yellow cards! And t his will be good for Hearts who are on course for their first title in Scotland in over 60 years.
La Liga: Barcelona v Real Madrid
DF: This weekend sees el clasico with Barcelona hosting Real Madrid. Madrid appear to be in meltdown on and off the pitch and this will be the second season in a row without a trophy so I reckon Barcelona will win this one. Maybe 3-0.
DB: I think Barcelona will secure the title with a 2-0 win over their fierce rivals
DF: What do you think of our predictions? Let us know by coming along to the forum on our site. Maybe you can give one or two predictions from games that you are watching this weekend there as well.
And don’t forget to come along to any of our social media sites – you can find us on Facebook; YouTube; X; Instagram and many more.
Contact
DB: We’re coming to the end of the show, so just time to remind you to come along to our website and check out our massive glossary of football terms, expressions, phrases and clichés about the beautiful game of football. Make sure that you give us a like on your favourite podcast or social media platform and tell your friends about us. We appreciate your support!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from a Galatasary fan)
DF: Thank you for that message from a Galatasaray fan in Turkey. We have also heard a variety of languages all saying ‘you are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast or Languagecaster as we used to be known. So, at the beginning of the show we had Chichewa from Mali, followed by Cantonese, then French, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese and then the fan from Galatasaray. Well done if you recognised any of those languages and we’d love to hear from you if you’d like to record one in any language that you know.
Goodbye
DF: Thank you everyone for listening. This week we have looked at the verb phrase ‘to set up‘ and how it can be used in football to talk about three things: to set up an assist; to set up a team and to set up a final.
DB: Enjoy all the football this weekend. And we’ll be back with another football expression early next week. Ta-ra!
DF: Bye!
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