--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big matches on the big stage are often…" description: "\"Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back.\" — Oliver Kahn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg" --- # Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back. ![“Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back.” quote by Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg) > “Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back.” [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in high‑stakes matches often hinges on defensive play and preventing opponents from scoring. **In simple terms:** Defense decides big games. Key Takeaway Focus on strong defense. Themes sports strategy competition Mood determined focused Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - football finals - basketball playoffs - tennis matches - team sports Key Concepts defensive tactics pressure management Questions to Reflect On - How can a team improve its defensive cohesion? - What defensive habits lead to consistent wins? A Different Perspective Strong offense alone cannot guarantee victory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) ## Related quotes > [In theatres, you're kind of disconnected. Also, it's way too big for the likes of me. Unless you're Robin Williams or someone that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/in-theatres-you-re-kind-of-disconnected-also-it-s-way-too-big-for-the/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Playing main-draw matches helps, and playing in front of crowds and playing in big matches definitely helps, getting them all under your belt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sock/playing-main-draw-matches-helps-and-playing-in-front-of-crowds-and/) [Jack Sock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-sock/) > [Those big matches, when you go through so much, are the best thing. Those matches are why you play tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-wawrinka/those-big-matches-when-you-go-through-so-much-are-the-best-thing/) [Stan Wawrinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-wawrinka/) > [As we formulate big four matches, there should definitely be a lucha presence involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-rhodes/as-we-formulate-big-four-matches-there-should-definitely-be-a-lucha/) [Cody Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-rhodes/) > [I've played in a lot of big matches and you learn from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-na/i-ve-played-in-a-lot-of-big-matches-and-you-learn-from-them/) [Li Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-na/) > [I love to play big matches. I think it's that that keeps the fire in me, keeps me on alert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-monfils/i-love-to-play-big-matches-i-think-it-s-that-that-keeps-the-fire-in/) [Gael Monfils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-monfils/) > [When you don't play those big matches for a few years, it's tough to play back-to-back after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-wawrinka/when-you-don-t-play-those-big-matches-for-a-few-years-it-s-tough-to/) [Stan Wawrinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-wawrinka/) > [I think I have a lot of experience, especially of the big matches, and that is an advantage always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bastian-schweinsteiger/i-think-i-have-a-lot-of-experience-especially-of-the-big-matches-and/) [Bastian Schweinsteiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bastian-schweinsteiger/) > [Many books have been written about what the X-factor is, what separates people who win big matches versus those who struggle. Some of it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-courier/many-books-have-been-written-about-what-the-x-factor-is-what/) [Jim Courier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-courier/) > [This year its just about winning the big matches because if youre going to get into the top 20 then youve got to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/this-year-its-just-about-winning-the-big-matches-because-if-youre/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [You have to be savvy. You have to be tactically aware, because that's what makes the difference in the big matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-southgate/you-have-to-be-savvy-you-have-to-be-tactically-aware-because-that-s/) [Gareth Southgate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-southgate/) > [I like to play in the big matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-partey/i-like-to-play-in-the-big-matches/) [Thomas Partey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-partey/) > [I like the big matches against the greatest players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-like-the-big-matches-against-the-greatest-players/) [Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/) > [It's obviously important for the English national team if you have a lot of players playing big matches. You are more mature and know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/it-s-obviously-important-for-the-english-national-team-if-you-have-a/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [I know how to win big matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelique-kerber/i-know-how-to-win-big-matches/) [Angelique Kerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelique-kerber/) ## More by Oliver Kahn > [Of course, success is a relative term. It can be something completely different from winning the German championship eight times or making millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/of-course-success-is-a-relative-term-it-can-be-something-completely/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [When you look at our programme for the next few weeks, you do not fancy a trip to the Oktoberfest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/when-you-look-at-our-programme-for-the-next-few-weeks-you-do-not/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [I have a feeling we are going to be world champions, I can't really explain why. Brazil are probably the best team in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/i-have-a-feeling-we-are-going-to-be-world-champions-i-can-t-really/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [After the 2006 World Cup, I knew that you don't always need success, success, success on the pitch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/after-the-2006-world-cup-i-knew-that-you-don-t-always-need-success/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [It's part of my game to occasionally send a message, one that may be unpopular to the outside world, but can be important for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/it-s-part-of-my-game-to-occasionally-send-a-message-one-that-may-be/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [If we perform as a unit and if every single player gives it his very best, everything can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/if-we-perform-as-a-unit-and-if-every-single-player-gives-it-his-very/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [It took me a long time to realize that football isn't martyrdom, but a game that's enjoyable, and one in which getting better at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realize-that-football-isn-t-martyrdom-but-a/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [I would never have thought I was capable of sitting on the bench as the number two man. And it showed me that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/i-would-never-have-thought-i-was-capable-of-sitting-on-the-bench-as/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [I have always seen myself as an athlete. Of course, I made the mistake of unintentionally opening the door to my private life by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/i-have-always-seen-myself-as-an-athlete-of-course-i-made-the-mistake/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [A Germany team should not be afraid going into a tournament. History shows that we can raise the level of our game when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/a-germany-team-should-not-be-afraid-going-into-a-tournament-history/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [I was so obsessed with football that you could say I was taking the goal home with me at night. And then one day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/i-was-so-obsessed-with-football-that-you-could-say-i-was-taking-the/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [I'm not the type who spends his free time in training camp playing with his Playstation or playing cards on trips. The other players…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/i-m-not-the-type-who-spends-his-free-time-in-training-camp-playing/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [Goalkeepers need an element of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/goalkeepers-need-an-element-of-insanity/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [If I play, I try to concentrate on producing my best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/if-i-play-i-try-to-concentrate-on-producing-my-best/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) > [It looked pretty wild, but I was actually in control of myself. I've never really injured anyone throughout my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/it-looked-pretty-wild-but-i-was-actually-in-control-of-myself-i-ve/) [Oliver Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) [Explore all 28 Oliver Kahn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Kahn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-decided-at-the-back/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-decided-at-the-back/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/oliver-kahn-22228_bigs_big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-d_3052946.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Big matches on the big stage are often decided at the back.” — Oliver Kahn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Oliver Kahn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-kahn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Big matches on the big stage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-decided-at-the-back/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-kahn/big-matches-on-the-big-stage-are-often-decided-at-the-back/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```