Shadowing Practice: Rio Ferdinand: "Give Carrick TIME!" | Leeds vs Man United - Learn English Speaking with Video
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267 sentences
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Yes guys, this is Rio Reacts and we're back after a game for Manchester United versus Leeds at Ellen Road.
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Always a tough, tough task.
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That is a tough assignment.
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I went back as an ex -Leeds player to Ellen Road and that was in May United.
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We were at the peak of their power.
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Tough game.
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I think we got beat 1 -0, you know.
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But what I remember about it is the atmosphere.
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And I know today the Leeds fans, they're up for that game.
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They can't wait for it.
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It's the biggest game on the calendar and they would have made
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that place a hostile environment
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I spoke about it a couple of weeks ago on one of the shows we've done
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and it was like that's one of the vivid memories
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I have of going back to Old Trafford as a May United player is
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that I went there as a West Ham player before that
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and there wasn't the hostility that I received
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and I felt I know it was obviously because I left Leeds
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and went to May United
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but just in general the the fire the venomous in the stadium for
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that game especially at ellen road is is different to any other fixture
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that i i've encountered when i was a
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when i went as a as a a leeds player
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and you and you see what it's like against man united
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and and i've been there for west ham for other teams
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and you think it's not the same
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but the way the fans get up for it the hatred they have for manchester united especially is is crazy
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so the players i knew it was gonna be a tough game but but i've got to be honest you
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In the run that we're going for, where we've got the worst start to a Premier League,
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and you go, where do you want to go and play a game to try and get out of that rut?
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I want to go to a place where it's going to be tough.
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I know it's hard, and the fans and everyone's going to be up for it, where the spotlight's going to be on.
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So there's no hiding places.
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They're the games you want immediately when you're having a bit of a bad spell.
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because there's no there's no like oh we've got to try
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and get ourselves up for this game
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because sometimes listen I'm not making excuses for the players
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but I'm saying
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that it's the best teams can get up for every game to almost within like one
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or two percent of every single game they're never too far off
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it right they might have an off day here and there
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but the teams that just fluctuate in the league
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and can't find consistency the teams that
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when it's a massive game against one of their rivals
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or a local derby they can get up for it but
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when it's against a team
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that they should be it was lower down in the league
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they don't a few percent off fight two three four five percent off even ten percent off
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and they get beat that's the difference and but
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when you go to these games
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and it's a big game against one of your rivals local rivals
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there is no room to just be off it
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and they force you to be in a zone where focus is there at 100 % effort intensity is there
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and I think that's what
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Man United needed in this game
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they needed to be to be focused by the opposition the enormity of the game the atmosphere
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that was going to be in the stadium and I thought they didn't disappoint I thought
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Man United stepped up to the to the assignment um yet couldn't keep a clean sheet
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but that's been the story of the season and you look at the way that that he set up, Michael, was to be able to contain,
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to be able to get into good shape without the ball
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but to still be a threat when the ball does turn over
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and we have the ball ourselves and Bruno playing almost like
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you look to Bruno playing quite high and centrally as well and
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I don't know
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you look at Tielemans running out to the right -hand side a lot of the time running to the left
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that little area in the midfield I thought was really, really good for Man Utd.
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Not to let anything through the central areas.
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Bruno, Tielemans, behind them was Santos and Balaba and you look at that and go, that was solid in there.
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And not allowing big gaps and big, big holes on transitions was a key thing as well.
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We'd seen that in a couple of games recently where that was worrying for me.
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And still being able to be some sort of threat on the other way when we're going forward with Ibuma.
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Ibuma missed a few chances.
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That's been the story of the season, really.
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I think we've been able to contain quite a lot of teams.
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And then chances have come our way and we've not been able to capitalise.
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And then you let teams back into it.
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But again, another chance was created.
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Tielemans, where you say, pushing out to that right -hand side at times, smashes the ball in.
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Great ball.
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And it's a great finish from Mbumo.
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And it was a good...
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I thought the first half was really good.
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Really solid.
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Really sound.
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kept the opposition chances to a minimum
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I thought Lenny Uro especially in the first half defending the back post was top draw
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he looks like he's grinding confidence
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I think Lenny Uro just needs a run in a team now I think he'll make
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I don't know what position he'll make his own first
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but he'll go I have to be in this team I think
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if he just continues playing in the way that he is
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and just continues to get games I don't care who gets back fit
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now I think Lenny Uro just needs to stay in a
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team prove his worth prove his value to this team because I think every week he's getting stronger now.
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In Madrid, I thought he looked solid.
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The game before that for France, he was outstanding at centre -back under Zidane.
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And he's come back, I think, with a newfound confidence.
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And I think that's good for Man United.
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But the way he defended the crosses at the back post.
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And again, them away games where you get crosses coming in the box and you're put under pressure,
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you've got to have people that are willing to put their bodies there, get into good positions, head the ball,
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etc. And I thought today it was a class act in that sense, especially.
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But I said it, it's weird.
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I'm in a WhatsApp group
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and I said it just before probably two minutes before the goal was scored in the second half
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we came out for the second half credit to Leeds
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they came out they changed the speed of the game they upped the intensity
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and I think the instructions from their manager was cross the ball keep crossing the ball
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and you'll get chances
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because that's what you see with Man United those things aren't going to change overnight you cross the ball against
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Man United yeah they can defend them for a period of time but they're going to give you chances
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and a corner comes in and we weren't good enough defending the corner
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and Calvert -Lewin who's been very good for Leeds this year comes up with a great finish in that situation.
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It's disappointing because all the hard work and the effort
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that went in the first half undone immediately
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and then it was a momentum shift in the game and it was Leeds United on the ascendancy then.
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It looked like only one team was going to win.
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We had to weather that storm but you have these moments in the game
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and you've got to expect them moments at Ellen Road
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that the other team are going to get the upper hand for a bit
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and they're going to get the momentum shift
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and they're going to get the positivity
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and they're going to have balls raining down in your box and you've got to be able to defend it.
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I thought Harry Maguire headed loads out, done well.
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Masraoui, when he came in, I thought was very good.
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Dallow as well.
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The whole back four, to go to Ellen Road and get a point and even a win, you've got to defend well.
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You've got to play well as a back four.
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And I thought we did.
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I think there's Santos.
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I think he's been interesting for me.
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I think he's obviously, his name's called out a lot, 50 odd million pounds for him.
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And a lot of people go, ah, it's a waste of money.
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But you see, Mainu's injured.
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Mason Mount's coming back from injury you need more bodies in there you do need bodies
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and you need someone who can come in there and give you a 7 out of 10
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I think Santos just goes under the radar a little bit people can try
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and pick you don't go in there
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and go oh he's glaringly really bad at anything I don't think you can I think some people try
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and nitpick at him and you go you know he's a solid player
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I think he's one of those guys who just gives you a 7 out of 10 most weeks
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7 out of 10
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some weeks he might go up a little bit he might be a little bit below maybe
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but he ain't going to be far off that
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And you need a load of those guys in a team.
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Again, today, wins it, breaks the lines a lot of the time, tries to play forward, tries to be progressive with his passing.
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I think he's just very solid.
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I think, again, if the game opens up physically in big spaces, he could be exploited.
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But as long as the team stays compact, like they did today for large parts, he can look very sound in them, be very effective.
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But that's the way you answer a week of pure pressure and spotlight on your team, I think.
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Now, you would have liked to have got a win.
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A clean sheet would have been even better.
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But to go to Ellen Road, where it's harsh, it's hostile in there, and to withstand the pressure that came today, in the second half especially,
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when the spotlight's on you and the pressure's on and everyone's expecting you to capitulate, I think Michael Carrick will be pleased with that.
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I think he'll be going around at Changer after the game, high -fiving the whole squad, going, you know what, that's resilience,
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that's a bit of character.
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We need more of that.
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I want to see more.
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I was surprised he didn't bring on Rashford.
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Maybe he might be carrying a little injury, but I was surprised Rashford didn't come on because that bit of pace,
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I think, alongside Cunha in the second half would have made Leeds go on the back foot maybe a little bit,
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but we managed to still keep the point.
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But it is a difficult game.
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And I think I was listening to the commentary and I heard Gary Neville talking about, oh, maybe the Martínez comments,
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what he was alluding to was, look at the back four.
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There's no, none of these players are playing in their right -ball positions other than Harry Maguire.
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But I don't necessarily agree with that.
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I agree that none of the players are playing in their positions,
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but who could have predicted or preempted that both your left -backs are out,
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Dorgu and Shaw, and you're looking at Harry Ramas on the bench on that side, and you've got an injured,
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come out from injury, Masrawi you've got your centre -back Yoro playing right back you've got Aidan Heaven out injured
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De Ligt out injured and you've got Martínez then he picks up an injury in the game
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like no one could have pre -empted that that's just bad luck you know what I mean
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and you know we're going to get into
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that tomorrow I'm going to talk to you about the squad
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and the window and stuff and just I'm going to strip it right back
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and have a real good look at it
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because I think it's important to get a bit of context
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and just look at the actual way that the window went for us
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and why and just start asking
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and pick it here just have a little pick it
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and just go through
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because I think there's a lot of people saying oh we should have done this you should have done
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that why didn't we do this and I don't think looking at the big picture
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and there's a bit of context that goes towards it
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so I'm gonna have a little go so keep your eyes peeled for tomorrow on the show
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Rio presents because I'm going to get into that but I think Carrick Shifting a few of the players round.
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I think Tielemans and Bruno in the positions that they played, I think today was a good choice.
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I think especially Tielemans.
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I thought he put in a great shift.
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I thought his work ethic, his work rate was great in that area.
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Just in front of Balaba and Santos.
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I thought Santos was solid.
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No frills.
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Done the job.
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Just done.
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It was nice and quiet and effective in there.
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Balaba's still growing into it.
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Do you know who I do really like?
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I love Ahmad.
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I love his work ethic.
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He's grit.
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But then when you get in and around the opponent's box,
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he's got that little bit of imagination and that little bit of like where you go, I don't know what he's going to do next.
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And decision -making today wasn't perfect.
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It wasn't, but that'll come with more games,
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I think, and a bit of confidence within the team when this team starts getting a bit of confidence and momentum.
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Especially if you get the opponent's team in and around their box, pen back.
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That's when he becomes a frightening player who the fullbacks, I think, feel fear because he can go outside or inside
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and if he gets too much space can score a good goal so
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yeah I'm enjoying seeing Ahmad back in the team
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but we've got one thing I've got to say
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if I've got anything to nitpick at today
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and I come out of this game
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and go you know what you set your stool out
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now you set the bar your first 45 minutes work ethic
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that is the standard and we've got to aim to get to
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and beyond we can't go anything below that
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because to look at anything like a half decent team
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I don't care how you play with the ball it's how you work without the ball
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especially and then when you're on it then you work again in a different way
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but there needs to be an intensity an aggression a desire in the way
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you play football especially without it it's going to give you an opportunity to try
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and win a football match and you know what as well to add to
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that we've got to become more clinical at finishing our chances
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and bremo today yes gets the goal
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but could have had a couple more kunya
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when he comes on i want to see more opportunities to take chances
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i want to see amad to be more more clinical obviously bruno
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you want to get more clinical again this season after what he's done in previous seasons.
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That's put to bed now, let's go again this season.
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So we need that clinical spirit within the team, that decisiveness to come back into this team.
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Because if we do that, we're getting chances.
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We saw it again in midweek, we had chances against Atletico.
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We just aren't clinical enough right now.
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And at the top level, don't care who you are, you don't finish your chances,
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you always leave yourself open to get opened up and hurt yourself
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and concede chances and goals and we've been punished far too many times this season.
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But the first half today that's what I'll leave this game with.
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The first half gave us an insight into where our level should be in terms of working
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and an intensity and a desire off the ball especially to work hard for each other
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and to make the other team have to work a hell
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of a lot harder than they have been to score goals and get chances against us.
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So Michael Carrick will be pleasantly I think Michael Carrick will be pleased
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not overjoyed not going crazy that's not the type of person he is but I think he'd be pleasantly
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not surprised but pleased with the way
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that they came out today after a really really pressurised week with a lot of spotlight on this squad
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and they put in a workman -like performance that I think especially in the first half they could be proud of
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and it's a start I think it's a starting block to really start building some foundations for this season
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so let's go but I have to say as well
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It's now the worst start in terms of points since 1986, which isn't nice to read.
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And it's worrying, it's concerning.
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But again, I'd like to think that the first half,
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especially today, will be a step in the right direction to kind of get away from that.
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We started poorly last season.
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It's become a bit of a common theme.
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We started poorly last season and look how it finished.
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Let's hope we've got that little kick on this season to change things around.
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And you've got to stay with someone like Michael.
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Give him the time.
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Let him go out there let him turn this around.
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It's the first bump in his managerial career at Manchester United.
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You can't just turn someone's lights off at the first sign of trouble.
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Give them the chance to change the fortunes of the club.
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That's Rio Reacts, guys.
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See you on Monday.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Rio Ferdinand: "Give Carrick TIME!"”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: ball, chance, especially. This video has 267 sentences and 3102 words to shadow. The speech runs for 14:33. The speaker talks fast, about 213 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| defend verb | /dɪˈfɪnd/ | To ward off attacks against (something or someone). |
| intensity noun | /ɪnˈtɛnsɪti/ | The quality of being intense. |
| rival noun | /ˈɹaɪvəl/ | A competitor (person, team, company, etc.) with the same goal as another, or striving to attain the same thing. Defeating a rival may be a primary or necessary… |
| momentum noun | /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/ | Of a body in motion: the tendency of a body to maintain its inertial motion; the product of its mass and velocity, or the vector sum of the products of its… |
| ethic noun | /ˈɛθ.ɪk/ | A set of principles of right and wrong behaviour guiding, or representative of, a specific culture, society, group, or individual. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| sheet noun | /ʃit/ | A thin bed cloth used as a covering for a mattress or as a layer over the sleeper. |
| assignment noun | /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ | The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks. |
| poorly adverb | /ˈpʊɹ.li/ | In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort. |
| hostile adjective | /ˈhɑstəl/ | Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure. |
| spotlight noun | /ˈspɒtˌlaɪt/ | A bright, directional light or lamp, especially one used to illuminate the focus or center of attention on a stage. |
| disappoint verb | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/ | To sadden or displease (someone) by underperforming, or by not delivering something promised or hoped for. |
| necessarily adverb | /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ | Inevitably; of necessity. |
| gap noun | /ɡæp/ | An opening in anything, made by breaking or parting. |
| transition noun | /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/ | The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| open up verb | To open. | |
| call out verb | To specify, especially in detail. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| come back from verb | To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc. | |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| get back verb | Return to where one came from. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You've got to play well as a back four.
- I think he's been interesting for me.
- I think he's just very solid.
- Do you know who I do really like?
- Because if we do that, we're getting chances.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've done · i've encountered · i've been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was created · was scored · could be exploited |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who can · guys who just |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 90 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we've, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: ethic /ˈɛθ.ɪk/, withstand /wɪðˈstænd/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sheet /ʃit/, transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/, imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: intensity /ɪnˈtɛnsɪti/, momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, commentary /ˈkɑ.mənˌtɛ.ɹi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like defend, intensity, rival.
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.