'I wouldn't expect him to be happy about it': Portsmouth boss explains surprise Turf Moor selection
John Mousinho has lifted the lid on why Zak Swanson was preferred to Jordan Williams at Burnley.
With fit-again Regan Poole restored to centre of defence to partner Tom McIntyre, it opened the door for Williams to return to his normal right-back role at Turf Moor.
However, Mousinho opted to instead keep Swanson there, having deputised for the previous three matches while the summer signing filled in as a makeshift centre-half.
It’s clearly a blow to Williams, who has willingly switched positions early in the season to help out Pompey during their defender injury crisis.
And Mousinho has explained his reasoning.
He told The News: ‘I thought Zak was really good, to be honest.
‘It was a really tough decision for me to make between him and Jordan, very similar to last year for long spells when Joe Rafferty ended up with the shirt.
‘They are different full-backs, Zak gives us something slightly different to Jordan and has played really well at right-back for the last couple of weeks. I thought he did that again at Burnley.
‘Jordan wasn’t happy (about the decision), I wouldn’t expect him to be happy, I don’t want players to lose their place in the side and be happy, but I want him to understand the reasons behind it and to keep working.
‘Jordan didn’t do anything wrong to lose his place in the side, so he should feel really upset and angry. He should focus the right way, though, like he did on Saturday, and keep putting that out.’
Swanson impressed at Turf Moor, irrespective of the 2-1 defeat, with Mousinho afterwards praising the ‘excellent’ back four.
He was replaced in the 76th minute by Williams, who subsequently pulled off one excellent covering tackle as a Clarets player threatened to burst clear on goal.
Since signing a new deal in July following the pre-season Croatia training camp, Swanson has started five of the Blues’ seven matches in all competitions.
Crucially, the 23-year-old appears to be over the injury issues which have dogged availability during his previous two seasons at Fratton Park since arriving from Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Williams, a free transfer recruit from Barnsley, has featured in every Pompey match this season, with Burnley the first time he has been named among the substitutes rather than starting.