This week’s English for football phrase is the expression to be sidelined. This phrase has two meanings. First, it means that a player is forced out of the team because of an injury. For example, Lucas Leiva has been sidelined for up to two months with a knee injury. Or the verb can be used in an active sense, such as a niggling groin injury has sidelined the player. Secondly, it can mean that a player is ignored by a manager and has been deliberately forced out of the first team. For example, Juan Mata has been often sidelined since Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea. Be sidelined