In the recently culminated 2022/2023 season, league winning coach Jonathan McKinstry’s Gor Mahia side was centered on verticality in their play. Their main principle when playing was being as vertical as possible. The sub-principles were adjusted majorly with how they wanted to counter the opposition set-up. In the business end of the season it became predominantly clear that Ernest Wendo and Shafiq Kagimu were the trusted midfield duo. The two formed quite a partnership together and there was heavy reliance on the coordination of both to carry out the vertical approach.In football, it is widely acclaimed that the number six position is one of the most important in any coach’s football tactical culture, through the central midfielder or midfielders automations in play can be generated.Open letter to Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose RachierIn this piece we set out to decode how Coach Jonathan McKinstry trusted his football soldiers in the double pivot. Going into depth on majorly their tactical orientation when in the in possession phases of play.Gor Mahia has a few ways of involving their no.6 in the first phase of play, the buildup. They set up in a 1-4-2-3-1 or employ a1- 2-4-4 or a 1- 3-1-4-2 structure. The 1-3-1-4-2 seemed to be the best way for Coach McKinstry to ensure his team had width and overloads in between the lines. The major idea for this was to look to stretch the opposition, attracting the opposition lines of pressure wide. This action creates vacated central zones where the elite verticality could now be pushed for. This actions would leave Shafiq Kagimu who was majorly tasked as the first phase orchestrator as much time as possible to dictate the tempo of the game.Progression PhaseThe three defenders in the 1-3-1-4-2 structure, majorly made up of the two centre backs and reserved right back Philemon Otieno look to ensure there is the proper emphasis on maximizing passing lanes into Shafiq Kagimu. After a rather uncomfortable showing as the first phase orchestrator against AFC Leopards in the second leg of the derby, Ernest Wendo in the buildup phase is pushed higher up the pitch, this action again creates uncertainty against the opposition midfielders forcing them a little lower back.Once Shafiq Kagimu is on the ball, he has the technical ability to play short or long passes to anyone on the pitch. The passing range he has in his arsenal is crazy. When Coach McKinstry stated that top African clubs were after his signature, one can clearly see why. Gor Mahia look to keep at least two players in the wide areas for width provision, this stretching of the opposition line, clearly a principle of play under the Coach, allows Shafiq Kagimu to find Ernest Wendo and/or Austin Odhiambo between the lines. Although Ernest Wendo is knows as a tough tackling no-nonsense midfielder his technical quality is rather commendable when not under pressure. His ability to play wall passes the most interesting aspect.##NAJAVA_MECA_7345429##When Gor Mahia are in their rhythm, they are simply unplayable, no one can come close. The midfield double pivot looks to play the opponent out of the park. Their vertical approach sees the ball passed around quickly when they notice a chink in the opposition armor, they want to exploit this as soon as possible. In most instances Gor Mahia has been found to play just three passes to get within shooting range. The double pivots understanding with talisman Austin Odhiambo is also very key in the in possession structure. Austin can drop deep into the pockets to receive the ball , drive at opponents and also switch play . With the risk of always losing the ball in this phase, Gor Mahia have always looked to push Wendo or Kagimu closer to him so he can sniff out the danger of transition. 1-3-1-4-2 build up phaseThe vertical approach has worked well for Gor Mahia, seeing them come up as the second highest scoring team in the league with 53 goals. However, there are instances where a more measure approach in attack was needed and they had the tactical maturity to employ it. This is because of the status of Gor Mahia, most teams would resort to playing in a low block, and thus there was need for a clear structure in how they attack. In the final phase, they maintain the back three. Kagimu and Wendo form the double pivot, acting as options to recycle play. The left back Geoffrey Ochieng pushes slightly higher up , this happens mostly when Philemon Otieno is playing at right back, if it is Paul Ochuoga this may change the dynamic. Boniface Omondi provides the width on the right, also note that they employ heavy rotations among their forwards when in play. Benson Omala pins the opposition centre backs with Austin dropping between the lines with a Peter Lwasa or a John Macharia playing in the halfspace. In this phase, when either Wendo or Kagimu have the ball they look to draw out one of the opposition midfielders , this enables the creation of an overload against the opposition last lines of play.MESHACK KISENGE: My 2022-23 FKFPL Team of the SeasonGor Mahia’s build up play, as illustrated above, relies heavily on Shafiq Kagimu’s strong ball retention qualities. Ernest Wendo’s role is a little unorthodox for a player of his profile, he is tasked with creating uncertainty in the opposition midfield, either drawing them out or pushing them back, through this he could look to combine well with his teammates to push the team higher up. Final Phase In conclusion, Gor Mahia has been a machine this season, the slight slump due to tinkering with the squad looked to have handed the title to Tusker FC but when they settled on an ideal line up and proper relations between the team they turned into a different animal. The double pivot cannot take all the credit for the team’s success. The assured goalkeeping of Gad Mathews. The resolute defensive partnership of Sylvester Owino and Dennis Njire. The pace of Boniface Omondi. The dead ball prowess of Dennis Njire. The playmaking of Austin Odhiambo. The 26 goals by Benson Omala. All deserve praise, and this is just a tip of the iceberg of qualities the side possesses. However, I will give credit to the double pivot that brought about the balance. My unsung heroes.
