Shadowing Practice: Joachim Klement predicts the Netherlands to win the 2026 World Cup | ESPN FC - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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OK, so 2-1, it would finish for Netherlands.
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OK, so 2-1, it would finish for Netherlands.
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But we want to talk about them
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because we were telling you just the other day that there's a German analyst and strategist, many call him a mathematician,
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who's predicting that Netherlands are going to go all the way and win the World Cup.
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Why are we listening to him?
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Well, he correctly predicted that Germany would win 2014, also that France would win 2018 and that Argentina would win in 2022.
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Now he's saying Netherlands.
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It's nothing to do with what he's seen on the pitch or form, though.
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It's all due to socioeconomic statistic view from him.
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GDP per capita, population size and talent pool, football's cultural importance and the current FIFA rankings.
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I've never heard so much crap in all my life.
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France.
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I predict Germany and France and Argentina, who did lose against Saudi Arabia, But they have really good players, and they've got Messi.
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And they've won the World Cup before.
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Where do we dig these people up, honestly?
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Let me just say, I predicted Argentina to win.
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France, Germany.
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You are a mathematician.
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Halfway through the tournament or ahead of the tournament?
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Ahead of the tournament, I picked Argentina.
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Ahead of the knockout stages.
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So that must mean I'm a German mathematician too then.
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That's my conclusion here.
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You know who you're mate of?
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Derricks.
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That's very well.
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We know someone else who loves the old algorithm though.
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Well, there's that as well.
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However, we do want to use it to talk about...
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OK, yes.
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How far can they go, this Netherlands side?
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Watching them today.
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I mean, it was a friendly game.
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They played some quite nice football.
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It was quite slow at times.
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Gatpo was on the left-hand side.
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Marlon was planned as the centre forward.
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De Jong, we know, is a good player in midfield.
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But you didn't see the goal.
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The goal was a massive blunder again, I thought, by Van Dijk, who looks completely out of place at times.
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You know, he doesn't seem to be able to move.
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He's lost his concentration.
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And he was playing alongside Van Hecker.
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And the Tottenham defender was playing at left-back.
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They're not good enough, I don't think, to win the World Cup.
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They're in the top six, maybe.
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Group F with Japan, Sweden and Tunisia.
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To your question, Keir, I think if this Netherlands team gets to the quarterfinal, that's about fair.
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I mean, in the bookies, the bookies are just there, they're eighth, which is just quarterfinal.
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I'd probably move nowhere ahead of them as well.
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So if they get to the quarterfinal, I think they've overachieved in a sense.
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Frank, you do love a prediction that stuns everybody.
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Have you got Netherlands in your bracket?
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Well, you know what?
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That was really crappy math.
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So I want to believe
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that the guy is quite serious you know having three in the right results you know
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and i and i i want to believe
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that maybe he's quite right you know my first two world cups
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that i remember uh the netherlands played the final
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and i was a big fan of uh of food like cruyff and iskens era and
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that would be nice to see the netherlands coming back to their best
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and the mvb uh get that world cup
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but yes i'm with the guys i have doubts about the
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the some players especially the the leaders where had quite average
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season like gravenberg uh virgin van dyke gagpo at liverpool
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that we didn't see the best of them
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so why suddenly in a world cup uh tournament they will do they will change
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and be better so uh it's possible for sure
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but um as the guys say qualifying quarter final would be already good every now
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and again somebody like this crawls out from under a rock
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with this kind of nonsense remember poor paul the octopus oh yes yes
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and it's a bit worrying that we are we actually have people that believe it we do well
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the octopus was also from germany
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and he did make quite a few well i think to find out who who the World Cup winners should be.
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Frank and I should have another bake-off like we did for the Champions League final.
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There's only been eight teams of countries who have ever won the World Cup and you could argue, you know, one of the Netherlands' best chances was 2010 in South Africa.
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And one of the most horrible finals, I think, we've had to witness between Spain and Holland.
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It wasn't a particularly good game as well.
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I think it was Ian Robin had a very good chance one
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and one to give them the lead at the time or certainly get back in the game.
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The game has long gone from the memory.
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But that was a great opportunity for them.
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And also when they were doing well in the 74
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and 78 remember Ajax were one of the best teams in Europe at the time
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and Cruyff was in my view the world's best player at that particular point.
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He was absolutely magnificent.
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He didn't play in the 78 World Cup for political reasons, so he said.
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But in 74 he was magnificent.
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Well I played under manager as you you know
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and vim jansen who was part of
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that group he was the enforcer in the middle of the park there were some amazing players the dutch had
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and they had some even when they won the euros with van baston
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and hula and it just doesn't feel no it feels
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that a decent side
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but it doesn't feel the club football now they're not going
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to go on hasn't been quite as good as it is it .

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice your English listening and speaking skills through a discussion about the predictions surrounding the Netherlands' potential success in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. You'll learn how to articulate your thoughts on sports predictions, analyze performances, and express opinions using various phrases. By engaging with a real-life conversation, you will improve your fluency and confidence in speaking English.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Predictions - Statements about what will happen in the future.
  • Socioeconomic - Relating to the interaction between social and economic factors.
  • Talent pool - The range of skilled individuals available for selection.
  • Cultural importance - The significance of something within a specific culture.
  • Concentration - The ability to focus on a task or subject.
  • Quarterfinal - The round of a tournament just before the semifinal stage.
  • Blunder - A careless or stupid mistake.
  • Football rankings - The classification of teams based on their performance.

Practice Tips

To enhance your speaking skills using the shadowing technique, start by closely listening to the dialogue in the video. Repeat sentences immediately after you hear them, mimicking the speaker's pace and intonation. Given the video’s moderate speed, this method will help you absorb natural language patterns while speaking. Utilize the shadowspeaks approach to maintain fluency and build confidence.

As you practice, pay special attention to the keywords and phrases provided. Look up their meanings and think of sentences that put them in context, especially relating to sports or predictions. You might even want to discuss your own predictions about sports events using the vocabulary from this lesson.

If you find certain phrases challenging, consider using a shadowing app to replay difficult segments at a slower speed. This will ensure you grasp the nuances of pronunciation and meaning effectively. Remember, the goal is to learn English with YouTube not just by listening, but by actively engaging with the content and practicing your speaking skills.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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