MCMANAMAN: STATS SHOW WHY SVEN SAID NO
His club team-mate Roberto Carlos said of McManaman's exclusion: "I am very surprised, I didn't expect it at all," while Spanish forward Raul said: "Steve is a top-quality guy as well as a top-quality player."
While it is hard to disagree with those sentiments, there is evidence to suggest that based on his England performances under Eriksson, he does not warrant a place in the team.
For Real Madrid in La Liga he completed 83% of his passes and while that figure only fell to 82% in the Champions League it dropped to 73% when he was wearing an England shirt. The same can be said of his dribbling - one of his key skills.
For Madrid, he completed 85% of his dribbles and runs in the league and 83% in Europe but under Eriksson for England he only managed to keep the ball 63% of the time.
The argument against him playing on the left side is further augmented by the fact the McManaman has not put in one accurate cross for Eriksson's England. At Real Madrid he is not expected to hit the by-line and whip balls in and neither was he expected to do that for Liverpool. But the Swedish manager does like players who get forward and cross the ball.
So why does McManaman not put in the same kind of performances for his country as he does for his clubs? The general belief for this drop in form when playing for England is simple. At Liverpool and Real Madrid, McManaman was in a side that liked to hold possession and move the ball about, pull teams apart and create spaces to move into. England tend to be more direct and less patient with their football and keep a more rigid formation.
While At Anfield he was given pretty much a free-role and at Real Madrid the players all move about as they pass teams into submission, but England stick to a 4-4-2 formation and that does not suit him.
It does sound strange to think that Real Madrid player McManaman will be sitting at home this summer, wearing his two Champions League medals, and watching England on television as they try to break down stubborn defences in a tough group knowing that's something he has been doing all season. But unless England start holding possession for periods of time and start playing a more free-flowing game he will never really be able to replicate his club form for England. I wouldn't hold your breath Macca.
