Portsmouth boss explains Ebou Adams decision after surprise Leicester City role
Ebou Adams completed his injury return against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
John Mousinho has explained why Ebou Adams was deployed in the number 10 role on his injury return against Leicester City on Saturday.
The 30-year-old completed his comeback from a knee issue over the weekend and was named on the bench to face the Blues’ relegation rivals at Fratton Park.
Despite missing five matches due to the set-back, which was sustained in the closing stages at QPR last month, Adams was full of energy, helping Mousinho’s troops see out the 1-0 triumph.
And the head coach insisted playing the January arrival in a more-advanced role was vital in restoring much-needed stability during the closing stages of Saturday’s must-win showdown.
Pompey boss on surprise Ebou Adams role
‘It was just to see the game out,’ the Blues boss told The News.
‘We got to a stage where we lost a bit of control in the game so we brought Jacob (Brown) and Ebou on for extra legs and extra height.
‘The ball was coming into the box a huge amount and then all of a sudden you get more physicality because we subbed off Segs (Adrian Segecic) and Chappers (Conor Chaplin).
‘We had to deal with (Luke) Thomas’ long throws into the box and were very good.
‘We just wanted to make sure we saw the game out.’
QPR decision ‘didn’t work out’ admits John Mousinho
Adams, of course, was deployed in the number 10 role during the 6-1 defeat against QPR, with the decision coming under fire in the aftermath of the Loftus Road debacle.
The Gambia international was the latest to be trialled in the advanced role as Mousinho sought for answers during the Blues’ difficult spell in front of goal before the recent international break.
And although Mousinho admitted the decision to utilise Adams on that particular occasion ‘didn’t work’, it’s still a role former Derby County man is more than capable of filling - if required.
The head coach added: ‘He played a lot as a 10 last year for Derby, scored a lot of goals. But I think it depends on who's behind him and the balance of the game.
‘We played him there at QPR. It didn’t work out well in the end but we thought we could get an extra body closer to the centre forward after going through a number of games not scoring enough or looking like we had anybody near the front line.
‘I think he’s definitely capable of doing it.’