The final game week of the League of Ireland had been anticipated for months.
Derry City were due to face Shelbourne FC.
Both sides had been the front runners for most of the season, and many dreamed of the final match deciding the league champions.
Inconsistency from both sides allowed for reigning champions Shamrock Rovers to have a chance of winning their fifth title in a row despite not having led for any of the campaign.
Derry City were unable to maintain the form that would allow them to be crowned champions for the first time since 1997, losing crucial games in the run-in.
This put destiny in Shelbourne’s hands as the final match of the league campaign took place.
If Shelbourne beat Derry City, they would secure their first title since 2006.
However, if they fail to win and Shamrock Rovers beat Waterford, the league will remain in Tallaght.
This tactical analysis will demonstrate how Damien Duff’s tactics succeeded in setting up his side to secure victory in what was undoubtedly the biggest match of his managerial career.
With Rovers’ dominance in recent years, there was significant pressure to take this golden opportunity.
The Reds’ attacking, defensive, and set-piece tactics will be analysed in detail to show how they overcame the enormous pressure to win their final game and create history.
Shelbourne FC Attacking Analysis
In the opening minutes, the initial tactic that Duff had instructed his side to carry out was evident.
They were going to take no chances in possession.
During Shels’ build-up play, they launched the ball forward with the aim of finding their centre-forwards.
This was out of character for the North Dublin side, which has made the third-lowest number of long passes in the League of Ireland this season.
As the ball reached its intended target, the midfield four worked on getting on the end of second balls in the hope of maintaining possession.
In this situation, Shelbourne striker Martin leaps for the ball and beats the challenging defender in the air.
He then shows real quality by finding one of the supporting players who has made a supporting run.
Both strikers Boyd and Martin were impressive in the air, with Boyd winning the most aerial duels in the match.
Derry didn’t let them play long balls easily.
They put them under intense pressure, particularly during moments when Shelbourne had just regained possession in their own half.
Shelbourne are usually very efficient at keeping the ball under pressure.
This season, they have the second-highest PPDA against in the League of Ireland.
Despite this, they struggled to deal with Derry’s counter-press in the opening stages.
Here, Shelbourne have won the ball deep in their own half.
Derry reacts quickly and gets several bodies around the ball, penning Shelbourne in.
This prevents the Reds from being able to play long to either striker and eventually leads to them giving the ball away in a dangerous area.
After the opening 20 minutes, Shelbourne then began to be more methodical in their approach.
Their primary tactical ploy was that they aimed to find the feet of centre forwards Boyd and Martin, who would look to lay the ball off to supporting runners.
This tactic also aimed to draw Derry’s defenders out of position so penetrating runs could be made in behind the Candystripes’ defence.
This paid dividends at times and saw several chances created.
In this situation, a forward pass is played to Boyd.
The striker dropped deep to offer himself as an option to play forward.
By dropping deep, he dragged one of Derry’s defenders with him.
Burt recognises this and makes a forward run in the vacated space.
Boyd flicks the ball off to his teammate, who drives through on goal and shoots agonisingly wide.
Shelbourne’s wide players were vital in their attacking strategy.
Burt, Tulloch, and Wood all had a significant offensive impact.
Eight of Shelbourne’s 16 shots came from Shelbourne’s wingers.
They created a number of chances through their ability to make forward runs both on and off the ball.
In this situation, Tulloch drives inside and aims to get a shot off quickly.
He’s also supported by Wilson’s forward run on his outside, which provides an option.
Burt’s position is also worth noting.
He’s making a forward run into the box, ready to pounce if the ball breaks to him.
Shelbourne FC Defensive Analysis
Similarly to their attacking approach, Shelbourne FC took a more cautious approach at the beginning of the game.
They sat mid-block in their 4-4-2 shape with the aim of preventing Derry from progressing into dangerous areas.
This is not unusual for Shelbourne as they have the third lowest challenge intensity score and the second highest PPDA, demonstrating their willingness to sit back and absorb pressure.
This didn’t go precisely as Shelbourne had planned.
Derry used a number of rotations that allowed them to bypass Shelbourne’s first line of defence easily.
Midfielders O’Reilly and Diallo took turns positioning themselves in Derry’s back line to gain a numerical advantage.
Here, O’Reilly pulls out wide and becomes the third player in Derry’s back three.
This allows them to have a clear advantage over the front two of Shelbourne.
The ball eventually reaches O’Reilly, who has the time and space to pass into midfield.
As the game progressed, Shelbourne became more and more aggressive defensively.
They worked incredibly hard to press man to man, forcing Derry to make mistakes and lose possession in their own half.
In this example, Shelbourne’s front two press aggressively, giving Derry’s centre-backs little time on the ball.
This allows them to force play out wide and prevent Derry from having the early success that they had playing through the thirds.
Martin, Boyd, Tulloch
, and Burt showed their impressive pressing skills by winning a combined17 ground duels.
Shelbourne’s wingers also had a vital role to play as they aimed to prevent Derry from creating opportunities.
Playing in a 4-4-2, it’s essential that the wide players tuck in so there are no gaps within the midfield.
Burt shows a great example of this.
He comes inside and sees the ball being moved across the field.
This allows him to tackle Derry’s midfielder as the ball makes its way to its intended target, preventing it from progressing further.
Shelbourne then had to revert to an incredibly defensive shape after they scored late on.
They set up in a compact 4-5-1 shape to defend any last-ditch efforts Derry made to equalise.
Here, Shelboune have reverted to a low block, ensuring that no gaps will appear in the dying seconds as they hold onto their precious lead.
Shelbourne FC Set-Pieces
Both teams were rather wasteful from set-pieces.
Derry did manage to create two opportunities from their combined total of five corners and free kicks.
The best chance fell to Ronan Boyce, who failed to make a clean connection from a Duffy free-kick.
Shelbourne were also wasteful.
They failed to create any opportunities from corners and several players had poor attempts and scored directly from a free kick.
However, Sean Boyd’s free-kick deflected into the path of the onrushing Harry Wood, who tapped home the goal that won Shelbourne the league.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Damien Duff’s coaching style was spot-on with all his tactical decisions.
By deciding to play more directly and sit deep at the beginning of the match, he ensured that his side didn’t make an early mistake and heap even more pressure on themselves.
Using the combative nature of his centre-forwards, Martin and Boyd, and the dynamism of his wide players, Shelbourne FC created a significant number of chances.
However, it was a moment from a set-piece that allowed Duff’s side to make the breakthrough.
Wood’s foresight allowed him to predict Derry’s keeper fumbling the ball, giving him the opportunity to make history.
This performance proved Duff’s impressive job in taking a side that was given odds of 25/1 to win the league.
Moments of real quality from individual players, unity to carry out their manager’s game plans, and Duff’s tactical astuteness have led to Shels’s unforgettable season.
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