Derry are regressing as the championship progresses and look devoid of confidence, according to Sunday Game analysts Lee Keegan and Tomás Ó Sé.
Mickey Harte's side slumped to a third consecutive championship defeat and must get over Westmeath in their final All-Ireland series group game to remain alive.
The 3-17 to 0-15 thumping at the hands of Armagh at Celtic Park demonstrated yet again the defensive frailties that have engulfed the side in all three championship outings to date.
Having seemingly laid down Sam Maguire ambitions with Division 1 success in April, the wheels have come off Derry’s season in a big way, with the porous defence again coming under scrutiny.
Speaking on live coverage of the game, Sean Cavanagh suggested Harte’s stubborn streak may be holding the Oak Leaf County back.
Cavanagh: 'Why have Derry not learned their lesson... stubbornness seems to costing them right now.'
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 2, 2024
FT: Derry 0-15 - 3-17 Armagh
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On the Sunday Game highlights programme, Ó Sé said that while they haven’t become a bad team overnight, failing to address certain points is a cause for concern.
"They are turning the ball a lot more than they used to and they are getting beat at long kickouts," he said. "The problem is they are exposed at the back.
"There has been no change. They keep doing it. They conceded 1-05 from long kick-outs, and 2-09 on turnovers (against Armagh).
"That belief, confidence, pomp has been battered over the last two months.
"They are being dominated in midfield, they are conceding goals for fun and they don’t have the same punch up front. They are being attacked and punished on the counter attacks.
"The confidence is smashed.
"The belief, pomp and confidence has been battered."
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 2, 2024
What has gone wrong with Derry?
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"If you take the four goals they conceded against Donegal, two goals against Galway, three goals against Armagh you’re in serious trouble. They have slowly crumbled since the start of the season.
"After each game, we were waiting for an answer, and we haven’t received one since."
Fellow analyst Keegan said that a real frustration for Derry fans that it is the same mistakes that are being repeated over and over.
"I don’t think they have learned anything since the Donegal game," he said. "If anything they have got worse.
"It’s evident from what we have seen today, there is no structure to them. They are a team that have no belief at the moment, and they look dead on their feet."
