Steve McManaman

Steven "Steve" McManaman (born 11 February 1972), also known as "Macca", is a former British soccer player.

Quotes

2010s

2014 FIFA World Cup

Brazil v. Germany (2014)

Brazil v. Germany (8 July 2014), Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

We're ten minutes into the game, nearly eleventh minute. There's lots of space already on the field. Brazil have to come a little bit tighter, Ian. They can't be so expansive, from back to front. Otherwise? The Germans will cut them to shreds.
That's a Sunday morning goal; it's certainly Sunday morning defending. Simple as you'd like, thank you very much! What a present!
Simple as you like. Look at this with the goal. Lovely ball in, Toni Kroos takes his time. Look at this for the pass. Have some of that. Intelligence of Muller. Julio Cesar does well, but Klose is there for the rebound. What a beautiful goal, simple. Running off the ball, incisive passes. Brazil have to watch out; they've already been warned. They're going to go down by a lot more if they continue like this. But, a wonderful achievement by Miroslav Klose.
Yeah. Look at the space, Ian! Look at the space! Oh, great strike. But, look at this Ian. How bad is that? Simple, no? Ugh! Yes, he gets a bit lucky. That's a lovely strike by Toni Kroos. But is anybody going to close down? Is anybody going to be, make it hard to beat? Are they going to be organized, Brazil? Because at the moment it looks as if eleven players are just running around the field with no idea. Yeah.
Again! Oh, what can you say? Fernandino, or is it Luiz Gustavo? Gets for? I think it's Fernandinho. But, what a lovely goal. Fernandinho. Yes it helps, when you're three-nil up. But, what a pass by Sami Khedira! Talk about mentally strong, cold as ice. Puts it on a proverbial plate for Toni Kroos to get his second of the game.
Yeah, they're just too good. But also, this is the worst I've seen Brazil play and start a game. Yes they've started slow in other games, Ian. But, I've never seem them so disorganized. At least France in the quarter-final were nice and tight and compact to try to stop the Germans playing football. Brazil are just all over the place, so open.
But, they need a goal or two double quick.
We all fancied Germany today, we didn't think it was going to be this easy.
Whenever they start defending. Mats Hummels brings the ball twenty yards, and then? I think it's David Luiz dives out of the challenge with him. You're four-nil down! Go and be aggressive and kick somebody! Go and do something to influence this game!
Well? I hope the people in the United States are sitting, enjoying this game. Because, they will never see a World Cup semi-final like this. For the rest of their lives. I am shell-shocked!
Well? You just repeat yourself all the time, don't you? Ian, how bad is it in this goal? Look, space. Who's picking Philipp Lahm up? Nobody, nobody. The crowd venting their anger, yet again.
He looks happy to come on the field, six-nil down. Come on Willian, get on there! Score seven, make your country proud. Yeah, they will score again. Germany, won't they? They've got twenty minutes left. If they keep up? Yeah. Look, Marcelo looks as if he can? Can't run anymore. But, Germany will score again if they want. Look at that, I mean? It looks as if Brazil have got nine men on the field; it looks as if it's eleven against nine.
Defensive displays, and this is just blowing it completely out the water. Nil, seven! I know! Thank? Thankfully, a couple of the people have scored a couple of times. So, they just put the number next to them. Otherwise, there's no space.
Yeah. We're in a special place, Ian. We've seen some football matches in our time. But, I've never seen? Seen a game like this, or been in a spectacle like this. I'll remember this for the rest of my life. Yeah, yeah. You'd much rather see seven goals than a one-nil defensive display, wouldn't you? At least they're getting entertained.
It's hard to decipher this game. It's been a very good German performance, but Ian? You cannot underestimate how bad Brazil have been today, it's like? It's like amateur hour watching them. But, their attitude has just been appalling. I know, I keep saying appalling. Because, I'm running out words. They've just given in. They've just completely given in, actually trying to run around and play football.
But, their lack of effort today has just astounded me. It really has; you could just get ten people sitting around just to work harder than a lot of these players have worked today. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. This game will be referred to many, many, many, many, years to come. Yes, we're talking about 1950 games now. This game, is going to like that. We will refer to this in fifty years time.
Have just thrown in the towel; this towel was thrown in. Forty, fifty minutes ago. They're not even getting close to the ball.
Please, do not adjust your television set.
Men against boys, Ian. Isn't it?
How we started the game and how we're going to finish the game, are just extraordinary. Polar opposites.
Ian, I think? This will definitely be the best World Cup we'll have ever seen. We're lucky, we're privileged.

External links

Encyclopedic article on Steve McManaman on Wikipedia
Media related to Steve McManaman on Wikimedia Commons