Kerry attack should use Barcelona as tactical model
Chief among the positives will be the performance of David Moran, initially as a withdrawn wing forward, and then as a midfielder. His next challenge is developing a consistency of performance and putting good displays back-to-back. Marc Ó Sé was outstanding at full back as he bested Bernard Brogan in an intriguing duel and Bryan Sheehan kicked exceptionally well. Colm Cooper was also at his brilliant best — but more about that later.
Dublin’s Pat Gilroy will be pleased with the progress of his charges. They have shown a heretofore absent grit in grinding out victory, just like they did in Crossmaglen, when they bested Armagh in the opening round. They are scoring lots of goals and most of their team are playing with confidence. Dublin are also achieving a much better balance between defence and attack. They are working particularly hard on the transition game from turnovers, which they’re using to launch swift counter-attacks.
Their second and third goals Saturday night proved as much. Most importantly six players, other than Bernard Brogan, scored. Gilroy was very clever to insist on playing their home league games in Croke Park. Aside from any razzmatazz (irrelevant to Gilroy) it affords him the chance to dry run his game plan for the summer early in the year and tweak and perfect as required.
It is much easier to clog up his defence in Parnell Park than in the prairie-wide Croke Park and he is ensuring his players and their system are Croker-conditioned come the championship. Dublin’s biggest challenge, as always, will come from within. Ex-players are talking about All Irelands already. When will they learn? Yes they are progressing nicely, but it is only February and they are far from the finished product. Gilroy will look to shield his players from this ruinous hype. That is not always possible in the capital though.
NEXT up for Kerry is a home game against Galway. It’s a must win for both sides. Kerry are normally good in these backs-to-the-wall situations. The major issue that will occupy Jack O Connor’s mind for the next two weeks is whether or not to persist with Kieran Donaghy at full-forward. It’s an interesting predicament with no wrong answer. Donaghy’s ball winning ability, his willingness to lay on assists and most importantly his telepathic relationship with Colm Cooper means it is difficult to move him. If he wins even a small percentage of the deliveries arrowed in his direction, it creates goal chances. If the ball breaks, it does so in a very dangerous area, particularly with Gooch sniffing around. However, and significantly, it is predictable. Before Saturday’s game Pat Gilroy knew that Kerry’s option number one was to hit Donaghy. Rookie full back Seán Murray was told to break everything and his defensive colleagues were instructed to pick up the pieces. They did this to great effect. Barry Cahill also withdrew from midfield as Kerry attacked and filled the hole in front of Donaghy, complicating matters further from a Kerry perspective. Another problem I see with the approach is Kerry now tend to play laterally across the middle as teams put huge pressure on here to guard against giving them the time and space to deliver the ideal ball to Donaghy — thereby cutting off the supply at the source.
Moving Donaghy to midfield also has lots of plusses. First and most importantly it would provide the Tralee man with a new challenge. Something different. I have seen him play there for Austin Stacks on occasions and think the position is made for him. He is strong in the air, a good kicker, has a great work ethic and is a leader. His presence and personality around the middle would be good for Kerry. He has the ability and the charisma to grab hold of a game, a la a certain retired unmentionable. He could also ghost into the edge of the square four or five times during the course of a game and be available for a long diagonal ball. A midfielder tracking him would be unsure and vulnerable isolated so close to goal.
When Declan O’Sullivan returns, I would love to see him at full-forward. For the 2009 All Ireland quarter final destruction of Dublin, it was O’Sullivan that was on the edge of the square with Donaghy injured. Would Murray have been as comfortable on O’Sullivan or Gooch? Would Kerry have been as predictable? I think not. To borrow from another code, think of Barcelona’s tiki taka. Pass and move. Their main men are Villa, Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, none of them giants. A forward line containing the pace and movement of Gooch, Darran and Declan O’Sullivan and Paul Galvin, based on a tiki taka version of Gaelic football, would be a nightmare to defend against.
Saturday saw Gooch kick five points from play. Four of these were from little dinked passes hopping in front of him. When he gets that kind of supply he is practically unmarkable. Put Declan O’Sullivan beside him and the possibilities are infinite. Much for Jack and the lads to ponder, but that is where the big enjoyment is in management. Working on the formula and enjoying the satisfaction when it becomes the winning one.
