There is one way of looking at this Sunday’s All-Ireland final, and that is that it’s managerial genius versus player genius. But managerial genius is designed to stop a playing genius, and when it comes to finals, that is usually a more reliable asset to have. I think the contest can be expanded, too, in a couple of directions. All sport is a trade-off between structure and expression. In soccer, Pep Guardiola had a balance at Barcelona and has become more obsessive about structure at Manchester City. At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta was once a Guardiola disciple, but he has tilted…

Want to continue reading?

Introductory offer: Sign up today and pay €200 for an annual membership, a saving of €50.

Subscribe

Cancel at any time.

Are you already a member? .