Seeking ways to halt the Dubs
In the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic bike race, Ireland’s Dan Martin was poised to take victory.
Martin won the race last year and after seven hours on the saddle, it looked like he was going to make a successful defence of his crown.
With one kilometre to go, Martin jumped clear of a chasing group and bridged the gap to the two leaders.
Having raced for 164 miles, Martin found himself in the same position as last year. With 200 metres to go, he was sitting on the wheel of a tired escapee. Everything was in place. All Martin had to do was apply the coup de grâce. But at the last corner, Martin’s rear wheel slipped and he crashed. As Martin lay on the road, Australia’s Simon Gerrans swept past and won a sprint finish.
“We figure that there was a patch of oil or something,” said a devastated Martin afterwards. “I think I had tears in my eyes before I even hit the floor.”
And that’s the main thing the Dubs have to fear this year. Failing a Martin-like mishap, an act of God, or a natural disaster — Dublin are going to win the Sam Maguire Cup.
The only other scenario that could give us new All-Ireland champions was witnessed at Anfield. José Mourinho does not care about the beauty of a game you would expect him to love. He doesn’t care about principles or sportsmanship. He doesn’t care what we think of him or his team. Jose cares about winning. He cares about results. End of.
On Sunday, Chelsea travelled to Anfield and, in the words of Brendan Rogers, the visitors “parked two buses”. The fact Chelsea’s two luxury deluxe buses were worth €250m doesn’t matter a jot to Mourinho. Pitted against a first-choice Liverpool side that was assembled for €145m, Chelsea made no pretence to play the game with any semblance of imagination, creativity or flair.
To add insult to Liverpool’s pain, Mourinho’s side also gave a masterclass in time-wasting.
In the first minute, after a foul by Raheem Sterling on Ashley Cole, Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer took more than 60 seconds to take the free-kick (Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton takes less time to take a 45).
For Dublin to relinquish a title that is theirs to lose, the contenders will need a Machiavellian manager, who has a team that will go to any lengths to win.
Yes, there are a few obvious candidates. But here’s the problem, what are the chances of them getting the rub of the green in Croke Park — Dublin’s home ground for league and Championship games? Step forward the referee who will give the benefit of the doubt to a visiting team while 50,000 Dublin fans are screaming in his ear.
We must also remember that Dublin aren’t exactly the wide-eyed innocents that some would have us believe. In last year’s All-Ireland final, they committed four times as many fouls as Mayo. But in Dublin’s defence, there is evidence that Jim Gavin’s men have cleaned up their act. On their recent visit to Omagh, they only committed three times as many fouls as Tyrone (27 to 9). Judging by their performance against Derry on Sunday, the Dubs have also perfected a new style of tackle. I call it the “bear hug”. Taking advantage of their considerable upper body strength, Dublin players quickly wrap their arms around an opponent. This disrupts the target’s momentum and stops him from moving. Crucially, however, the Dubs don’t pull their opponent to the ground. This gets around the threat of a black card. Because they perform the bear hug with such speed, refs aren’t even awarding free-kicks. It’s quick. It’s clever. And it’s effective.
Moreover, it counters the notion that the Dubs might be vulnerable to underhand tactics because they are bit green around the gills.
While Dublin are a thoroughly entertaining side to watch, it would be foolish to think of them as being naïve. Their track history of tactical fouling and their tackling technique tells a different story.
During the post-mortem hours that followed Dublin’s emphatic league victory, I received a text message from a Derry supporter.
It read: “Are Derry that bad or are Dublin that good?” Both questions can be answered in the affirmative. Derry were poor. But Dublin were frighteningly impressive.
Following the destructive manner in which they systematically dismantled Derry, the debate has already started about who can actually stop the Dubs this year.
Various flimsy arguments have been presented for Cork, Mayo and Kerry. None of them stand up to much scrutiny. To beat Dublin, their opponents will have to outscore them. They will have to rack up at least 18 points. That rules out Mayo.
A victory over Dublin will also require domination at midfield. That rules out Cork.
Finally, to beat Dublin, their opponents must contain a forward line that includes the Brogan brothers, Diarmuid Connolly, Kevin McManamon, Paul Flynn and Eoghan O’Gara. Strike a line through Kerry. However, if Dublin have one fundamental failing, then it’s lies with their attacking philosophy. A Mourinho-style manager, who focuses on not making mistakes while capitalising on the errors of the opposition, would be licking his lips when studying a video of Sunday’s League final.
When Derry got 13 men behind the ball, Dublin attacked with 13 men. The dangers of this approach were shown in the fourth minute. Deprived of any cover, Rory O’Carroll and Philly McMahon were left to fight their own battles. One long ball and Derry’s scored a goal. More significantly again, Derry created seven clear goalscoring opportunities. They scored one. Other teams would be more ruthless.
Ultimately though, the cases being made against Dublin are based more on hope than theory. The terrifying reality is that this talented Dublin squad is only reaching maturity. Most of the players already own two All-Ireland medals. They are experienced, course and distance winners. Having beaten every team in the country, they fear no one. Indeed, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that Dublin’s best is yet to come.
In Cluxton, they have the best goalkeeper in the country. As a full-back, Rory O’Carroll has few peers.
In James McCarthy they have the rarest specimen of all, a wing-back who can defend and attack.
Michael Darragh Macauley is the reigning football of the year. Bernard Brogan won the award in 2010. Alan Brogan won it in 2011. No team in the country can rival their forward line. No county gets even close to matching their depth of talent. Barring some unforeseen disaster, it’s difficult to see the Dubs slipping up. But there can be oil slicks in the Championship. Other counties have to hope fate conspires to send the high-flying Dubs crashing to the ground.
