Exclusive:‘Massive’: Portsmouth boss welcomes addition of key factor to aid Championship charge
There was a key factor in Pompey’s Championship success over Cardiff City - and it could be huge for the Blues moving forward this term.
John Mousinho welcomed the addition of game-changing quality from Pompey’s bench.
And the Blues boss believes that ‘massive’ factor can make a ‘significant’ difference to his side’s Championship hopes this term.
Mousinho on subs’ impact: ‘It’s a massive part of the game’
Mousinho’s men go to Charlton Athletic tomorrow looking to build on last weekend’s 2-0 success over Cardiff City.
A key factor in the success of the Bluebirds was Pompey making changes off the bench which impacted the game, with the likes of Ebou Adams, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Colby Bishop introduced.
That’s something they’ve not necessarily had the luxury of doing in the Championship previously, with Mousinho highlighting the clear benefits of doing so.
He said: ‘It’s a massive part of the game being able to change half of your outfield team.
‘That makes a significant difference in the game and a big impact.
‘What we want to do is bring players on and not decrease the quality on the pitch.
‘We want subs who, in a lot of ways, give us something different in terms of energy and other ways in terms of different characteristics.
‘On Saturday we had Jayden Meghoma and Zak Swanson, two completely different players who complement each other really well.
‘One can play a certain amount and the other can come on and do a really good job to finish off the game.
‘We want that, we want to have that option in every position.
‘The stronger the bench is and the stronger the squad is, the better we are as a first team.’
In terms of Pompey’s squad, the likes of John Swift, Madiodio Dia, Luke Brooke-Smith and Harvey Blair were left in the stands last weekend.
Meanwhile, Connor Ogilvie, Keshi Anderson and Josh Murphy are all still in the treatment room with three spaces left open in the Blues’ 25-man squad.
Mousinho added: ‘We’re wary of injuries, but overall if everyone is fit we have two players in every position and we’ve got players who can cover.
‘Where’s an area of concern at the moment? Maybe out wide.
‘When you strip that back, we have players in the physio room and when we have them back we’re quite heavy.
‘Overall the balance of the squad is quite healthy, we just needed to add a couple of players at the top of the pitch to cover for the injured players.’