Delightful Dolan showcases the effectiveness of the quarterback role: How can it be utilised in all levels of football?

Newport County defeated Mansfield Town 2-1 yesterday, with centre-back Matty Dolan scoring the winner from the spot.

But it was his overall performance, dictating the play from the back, which impressed the most.

Having previously featured in midfield for the majority of his career, Dolan has been utilised at the heart of Michael Flynn’s back three so far this season.

He’s been floating around the lower divisions since his release from Middlesbrough, and now, entering his fourth season with the Exiles, has moved back into the deeper role.

On arriving at the club in 2017, Flynn was clearly ecstatic to get his man:

“Matty comes from a good pedigree having started his career at Middlesbrough and is technically one of the best midfielders in the league.

“He’s very good on set-pieces and an all-round intelligent footballer.

“I’m really excited having Matty in, he was one of my main targets this summer and fits the criteria of what we want at this football club.

“He’s ambitious and buys into what we’re aiming to achieve with a successful season.”

– Michael Flynn, speaking to South Wales Argus in 2o17.

His first three seasons at the club yielded mixed results. They finished 11th in his initial campaign, making 48 appearances in all competitions as Newport made the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The next season heralded more success in the league format with Newport reaching the play-off final. Dolan himself scored the winning penalty in the semi-final win over this weekend’s opponents Mansfield Town.

The Exiles would fall just short, but Dolan’s moment would come in the FA Cup that season. When Newport faced Dolan’s boyhood club, Middlesbrough, he would come on for ‘Port and equalise in the 93rd minute.

Last season he played less due to injury and form – and Newport, unlike the season before, were poor on most fronts.

They finished the unfinished season languished in 14th on PPG, and the standards for this season had to be raised.

This sanctioned Flynn to make a tactical adjustment. A permanent switch to a three-back formation would make the Exiles more solid to begin 2020/21, and a beneficiary of this was Matt Dolan.

It saw him take up a role that the likes of Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo and Franz Beckenbauer had fulfilled excellently before. The quarterback.

Terminology stolen from Gridiron, but it has it’s own definition despite inspiration in our game.

The modern evolution of the sweeper role sees it taken up by a central centre back of a three, rather than a defensive midfielder tucking behind a pairing.

The equivalent of Dolan’s style in Premier League terms would be Wolves’ utilisation of Conor Coady, or Makoto Hasebe from Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.

Characteristics of the role, evident from Dolan’s performance yesterday – include picking long-range passes to wingers and bombing full-backs, bypassing the press with central short passes (which he particularly excelled in yesterday), and joining the midfield when the side are attacking.

The latter Dolan interchanged with his defensive partners Micky Demetriou and Brandon Cooper – but for the majority he was the pivot for all of Exiles attacks’.

Matt Dolan playing the quarterback role is having a massive impact on this game.

Everything going through him for the home side.#Exiles ? 0-0 ? #MTFC

— Chris Stonadge (@ChrisStonadge) October 3, 2020

Let’s take a look at the aforementioned Conor Coady in comparison to Dolan.

Both initially midfield players, and captains of youth teams (Coady – Liverpool, Dolan – Middlesbrough). Both lacking slightly pace wise, but have elite football brains.

Is this the template for the perfect quarterback? Vocal, tactically astute, leaders, and with a dictating passing range.

It gives defensive stability with a deep lying offensive threat – and an extra body in midfield when the team are on an offensive groove.

It’s definitely a tactic which suits Newport – will their recent success with it see more sides in League Two and below operate with a back three?

It certainly poses an interesting thought in the minds of all managers at this level. If they can utilise the quarterback as well as Flynn has with Dolan, it has potential to be a tactical revolution.

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