**By Declan O'Sullivan **

D-Day has arrived for this Mayo team. They have been on the road for the past six years and have been through a lot as a group since James Horan took charge back in 2011 to mould them into serious All Ireland contenders.

This year, however, their form graph has been well below that of previous years. Stephen Rochford and his backroom team have been unable to spark this group into life thus far. However, I would be very slow to write them off. They have got themselves back into another quarter-final and regardless of the route and the lacklustre manner of their performances they will know that the real competition begins now. That will certainly get the juices flowing within the team.

There is still loads of improvement left in this Mayo team and if they can get that improvement on Saturday then they will be in with a great chance of victory.

Here are three crucial areas they will have to get right.  

Defensive issues

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Firstly they need to solve their defensive issues. It has been a big learning curve for the new management team who have taken over in very difficult circumstances. They have tried to put their own stamp on this team.

They have done this mainly by introducing a sweeper system. They have recognised that contrary to popular perception it has been the defence which has cost Mayo in the big games and have gone about rectifying this weakness.

I personally think they have overreacted and could have solidified the team using a more subtle approach. Especially for this particular game, I would dispense with Kevin McLoughlin or anyone else for that matter as a full time sweeper. The way Tyrone drop back in numbers when defending means they at the very most will play with four attackers and will automatically give up at least two spare defenders to Mayo.

There is no need for Mayo to drop back a full time sweeper on top of this. The key is that they don’t fall into the trap which Tyrone are trying to set. These spare defenders cannot get dragged up the field and get drawn into the attack. They must be very disciplined and keep their shape and protect the full back line when Tyrone get a turnover and look to hit them on the counter attack at pace.

By no means am I saying that Mayo shouldn’t utilise the attacking threat of Lee Keegan and Colm Boyle for example, but they should only look to attack when they themselves have turned over Tyrone and the likes of Kevin McLoughlin and Diarmuid O Connor have worked back and helped force the turnover. Then they can hold the fort while the half backs can play to their strengths and put Tyrone on the back foot.

There should be fluidity between the half forward and half back lines all the time ensuring that Mayo have good solid shape in their back line for the entire game. This approach ensures they have plenty of bodies on the right side of the play (between the ball and the goal) and are not chasing men back facing the goal tackling in desperation. This will require a tweak in the collective mind-set of the team to adopt a safety first approach.

Aidan O'Shea at full forward

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People will say that with Colm Cavanagh dropping deep it will be very difficult to get ball into Aidan O'Shea, but I think he is still good enough to win ball regardless of the personnel around him. Even if he isn’t winning ball he will still receive a lot of attention from the Tyrone defence which should create extra space and time for the other forwards around him such as Cillian O'Connor. 

Colm Cavanagh is having a terrific year and is one of the most effective players playing the game right now and his importance to Tyrone cannot be overstated. Mayo should look to cause him a lot of trouble. By playing O'Shea inside, Cavanagh has to decide does he cover the long ball option or does he push out to try stop the running game.

It poses a lot of headaches for him and it may unsettle him and create some confusion in the Tyrone defence. In order to help O'Shea get some extra space, both Mayo corner forwards need to have loads of movement especially diagonally across the eye-line of Cavanagh or any other sweeper back there and ask the question of them. Who are you going to cover? The long ball option to O Shea, the shorter ball option to the corner forward?

By creating all these options inside they and also opening up the space for the running game if required.   Mayo will need this type of variety in their forward play in order to break down a rigid Tyrone defence and O'Shea will be key to this.

Remember, they also struggled under the high ball against Cavan in that drawn Ulster Championship game. Furthermore, if Mayo play O'Shea out around the middle, Tyrone will target him for turnovers when he has the ball. He likes to hold on to the ball and take men on and use his physicality, however, Tyrone will will look to lay down a marker by turning him over as much as possible. This would have a very negative effect on the Mayo morale. Mayo should set the tone for the game and place him on the edge of the square.

Intensity

Mayo have failed to spark so far this year. They have been very inconsistent in all their games and they are experienced enough to know what they have produced so far will not be good enough. They need to come to Croker with all guns blazing.

They need through their body language, attitude, work rate and general intensity to make this game a further step up in quality to what Tyrone have faced all year in Division 2 of the League and in the Ulster Championship. We saw with Galway last weekend that after winning your provincial championship after a long gap it can be difficult to get back up again so quickly to that performance level. Mayo need to test the pulse of the young Tyrone players to see if they can now handle the expectations which have been building around Tyrone all year. 

I have been a big fan of this Tyrone team and all year I have been telling people they will get to the All-Ireland Final, but I’m tipping Mayo to win this game. I just have a feeling this group are not going to go away quietly. I think there is a big performance in them Saturday and the challenge of taking on Tyrone will bring out the best in these players. Since the turn of the millennium the history of both these counties couldn’t be any different.

Tyrone are everything Mayo aren’t. Any realistic chance they have had to win All-Irelands they have taken it, winning the three finals they have reached. They have turned themselves into serial winners and have that ruthless streak in their DNA which has to be respected by any team which plays them. Mayo have lost four finals in that period all the time finding new ways to lose big games. This year is possibly the last chance for this group to change that losing culture.  Beating Tyrone on Saturday would be a big step in the right direction. A step I think they will take.

Dublin v Donegal

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This must be a very exciting week for the Dublin players. For the first time in this year’s championship they have a challenge ahead of them which will put a bit of fear in their minds that if they don’t perform then the opposition is capable of beating them. They will embrace that situation because in the environment that they are operating in they are constantly looking to prove themselves. Croker in August and September is what these players live for.

Donegal on the other hand couldn’t have had it any harder up to this point. They have faced tough opposition in all their games so far and have been asked difficult questions and been in pressurised situations which in the main they handled well. The Ulster final would have hurt them as they looked the likely winners for most of that game, but an experienced team like Donegal will have the ability to process that defeat and learn valuable lessons and move on. That process has already started with the defeat of Cork. They will no doubt see the bigger picture and that Ulster final hurt could be a valuable friend this Saturday.

Here are three areas Donegal need to get right in order to have a chance to win this game.

Balance

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Donegal need to get the balance between their traditional ultra-defensive game and still having enough of an offensive threat in order to go to win the game. The loss of Jack McCaffrey and in particular Rory O’Carroll is hugely significant. I have marked Rory several times and he is one the toughest competitors you could meet. It is not easy to replace those type of players and remain as strong.

I believe defensively Dublin are not as strong as they were last year. I say that in terms of ability and also in terms of mentality. The full back position is vital and the confidence Rory has given to the rest of the defence cannot be under estimated. Without him there, I feel there is bound to be some doubt and edginess in and around that full back line. With Paddy McBrearty in such good form and if they place Michael Murphy in there with him then they will certainly pose a lot of problems for the Dublin defence.

Give up the Dublin kick outs

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As much as possible you need to stop the quick kick out against Dublin. Every second you can delay that kick gives you more time to set up properly out the field. I would give him the kick out to the full back line. The full forward does his best to delay this kick, while the rest of the attackers retreat to Dublin’s 45 yard line and zonally mark space. That will leave 10/11 Donegal players between the two 45’s which if they get their communication right will make it very difficult for Cluxton to successfully pick out the Dublin receivers around midfield and the half forward line.  

The next step is where you engage them after the kick out. This is where I believe Donegal need to change their approach. Normally they retreat to their own 45 and then engage with the opposition and tackle in numbers, I believe this is too deep. I think they need to engage them on the Dublin 45.  It takes a lot of effort and physicality to implement and maintain this game plan but Donegal have never lacked for either of those.

Man-mark Ciaran Kilkenny

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He is a vital player for Dublin, but he becomes even more so when they come up against a defensive team which of course Donegal will be. When Dublin have to be patient and play keep ball in order to prise open a blanket defence he comes into his own. He has a great appreciation for what is required in that situation.

He is to Dublin what Xavi was to Barcelona. He gets on ball and does the simple things well, uses a quick hand-pass or foot-pass to change the direction of the play and keeps the attack going. He ensures they remain patient and do not get frustrated. He always seems to be available, he is the oil which keeps the engine purring. No other Dublin forward has this trait and if Donegal can man mark him and deny him ball I feel the other forwards may get frustrated and be forced into poor decisions which would play into Donegal’s hands. I would put a real tight marking player on him like Paddy McGrath and hope he can nullify his influence.

I still believe Dublin will win this game. The strength and depth of their squad I feel is far superior to that of Donegal’s and that allied to their freshness will ensure they will find a way to get over the line and most likely with a good bit to spare. But this is only the start of it for Dublin. If they are to retain their All Ireland they will do so the hard way and they will be tested to the limit along the way. Everybody will be watching closely to see how they handle their first big test of the Championship.