After a promising start to the 2024 Allianz Football League, Mayo have endured a tougher run of things in recent weeks.
A tricky schedule left Mayo with a trip to Salthill and a visit from the Dubs in the first two weeks of the campaign - but they came out victorious on both occasions, sparking hope that they could kick on in their pursuit of a second successive league title.
But things have stagnated somewhat for Kevin McStay's side in the last two weeks, with successive defeats on the road to Kerry and Tyrone.
Mayo now enter this weekend's Connacht derby against Roscommon in need of a win to revitalise their league campaign - but county legend Lee Keegan has identified a glaring issue in their setup which is beginning to hurt them.
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Lee Keegan zeroes in on worrying trait of Mayo's attacking play
Coming out on the wrong end of a one-point game away to Kerry would not exactly strike too much concern in most teams, and Mayo were solid in Tralee. Their defeat to Tyrone in Omagh, however, will have caused more concern.
The Westerners are struggling to come up with scores, and it is beginning to become a concern.
In his weekly column for RTÉ Sport, Mayo legend Lee Keegan said that he struggled to see evidence that Kevin McStay was seeing any success in enacting his attacking masterplan, and feared that their lack of goalscoring prowess was going to cause issues down the line:
I wonder does our devotion to running the ball from deep starve our forwards inside, who then don't get enough supply to do consistent damage.
Certainly, we're not creating enough goal chances. We did hit the net twice against a Galway team, who weren't switched on in Salthill. The goal against Dublin came from a point attempt which dropped short. In Omagh, we got a goal through a fortuitous penalty. In Tralee, I don't think we even created a goal chance, let alone score one.
I know McStay is keen to develop and fine-tune Mayo's attacking game. We're waiting to see real evidence of that yet.
Mayo's inability to reliably score goals is balanced by the fact they have only conceded one
McStay is in his second year of coaching Mayo. 2023 brought mixed fortunes, with their league title balanced by early exits from both the Connacht and All-Ireland championships.
24 February 2024; Mayo manager Kevin McStay, right, and Mayo selector Damien Mulligan during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Tyrone and Mayo at O'Neills Healy Park in Omagh, Tyrone. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Mayo host Roscommon in Castlebar this Saturday before the visit of high-flying Derry to MacHale Park the following week.
If Mayo's issues are not resolved by the time that clash with Derry comes around, they may be looking anxiously over their shoulder rather than chasing a spot in the final.
