‘Solutions to our problems’: Portsmouth boss’ hunt for winning survival formula continues after selection flak
The call to deploy Ebou Adams in the No10 role at QPR last month drew criticism, but John Mousinho isn’t deterred from hunting for the right Pompey selection formula.
John Mousinho acknowledged the search is continuing for the winning line-up to keep Pompey in the Championship.
And the Blues boss stated he will continue to make the changes he feels are required to rejuvenate his team’s fortunes, as the survival battle reaches fever pitch.
Ebou Adams No10 flak, injuries and hunt for the right Pompey formula
Pompey go to high-flying Middlesbrough bidding to arrest an eight-game winless run, as they sit a single point above the drop zone with six games to go.
Mousinho has tinkered with his starting XI in recent weeks, with a mixture of injuries and searching for the right blend in his side the factors behind the moves.
Three changes were made against Oxford United on Monday, as Conor Shaughnessy, Andre Dozzell and Keshi Anderson all came into the starting XI.
That was off the back of five switches at Norwich City following the 6-1 thrashing at QPR, where the call to deploy Ebou Adams in the No10 position in front of Marlon Pack and John Swift drew criticism.
Mousinho highlighted how decent form in January came amid a settled formula, before injuries to the likes of Colby Bishop and Conor Chaplin prompted a shift in personnel.
Conversely, the 39-year-old feels poor form over February and March means changes had to be considered.
Pompey boss: ‘We’ve searched for the formula in the past few games‘
He said: ‘It’s looking at certain games and seeing what’s the best way to exploit the opposition.
‘Whenever we’ve had good results and good performances we’ve largely stuck with the same line-up.
‘There’s been a couple of things which have changed depending on personnel and injuries, but we’ve had a couple of decent runs since the turn of the year.
‘After we played Arsenal we went on that mini run where it was Sheffield Wednesday, Watford, Southampton and West Brom.
‘We’d fallen on a team we thought was working and we liked, unfortunately in the West Brom game Colby picked up an injury and we picked up a couple of other ones, too.
‘So we’ve had to change those things around, but, by the same token, you can’t just keeping going by what’s worked for you in the past.
‘It worked in certain parts of the season, but we’ve searched for the formula in the past few games to try to tweak things and find solutions to our problems.’
One of the key selection debates for Mousinho at present is who fills the No10 role in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.
Chaplin has got the nod there over Easter, off the back of Mousinho’s surprise call to move Adams up the pitch at Loftus Road.
John Swift’s had his success there in back-to-back wins on the road at Charlton Athletic and Millwall in February, with Adrian Segecic and Jacob Brown other alternatives.
Mousinho added: ‘We’ve got options there, we’ve got different players who can fit the slot.
‘There’s Chappers, Segs, Swifty and even Jacob Brown’s done a stint in there.
‘I think where we’ve been over the past few weeks is we’ve been controlling games and getting the ball into the final third, but then we’ve not had quite enough final product and attacking impetus.
‘That’s why we’ve tried to change a few things in those attacking positions, so that’s where the rotation of the team selection will come from.’