‘Right combination’: Portsmouth boss weighs up huge Norwich City midfield call after QPR selection flak
The stakes are high at Carrow Road, as John Mousinho faces a massive shout with Ebou Adams sidelined in the wake of the Pompey boss’ QPR criticism.
John Mousinho has detailed his thinking as he faces a huge selection call in search of the right midfield formula.
The Pompey boss believes he has options to get the right link-up in the middle of the park, as he gears up for a critical Good Friday trip to Norwich City.
Pompey boss on Norwich call: ‘There’s plenty we can call upon’
Mousinho’s QPR selection faced heavy criticism, as he matched Marlon Pack and John Swift centrally and deployed Ebou Adamas in the No10 position in the 6-1 thrashing.
Now the Blues head coach has to find the right pairing against the Canaries, as Pompey return to action over a critical Easter period with Adams sidelined.
The game comes too early for Andre Dozzell, as he nears his return from nearly seven weeks out with an ankle injury.
Marlon Pack, John Swift and Luke Le Roux make up the other specialist consideratons, with Terry Devlin and Zak Swanson versatile options.
Mousinho said: ‘Doz is back in training but Friday’s too soon, hopefully the squad on Monday.
‘Doz has been excellent this season, he’s started every, single game he’s been available for.
‘He’s missed one through suspension but was involved in all the others. He’s been very, very good this year.
‘If you look across the middle of the park we have Marlon, Swifty, Luke Le Roux and Terry’s played in there, that’s Terry position. So there’s plenty we can call upon.
‘We’ve done that in the past (Devlin in midfield),
‘I was, for some reason, looking at games earlier in the season and, before Terry cemented his position as a right-back he played a fair bit as a 10.
‘We brought him in initially as an attacking midfielder, he’s played as a 10 and as an eight. Terry definitely has that capability, we’ve seen him play pretty much everywhere across the board for us.’
South African last started league game in Bristol City thrashing
The QPR midfield pairing of Pack and Swift didn’t work as Pompey made it six games without a win at Loftus Road, with the duo not gifted with huge mobility.
Le Roux’s last league start was the 5-0 New Year’s Day thrashing at Bristol City, with the South African also starting in the FA Cup against Arsenal.
Mousinho insisted he’s not afraid to use the £1m signing if necessary, with the stakes high against Phillipe Clement’s side.
He added: ‘That’s why we kept Luke around in January, we still think there’s plenty there and we hope that he can show us that between now and end of the season.
‘We’re taking everything into account.
‘We have options in the middle of the park and we’ve got to get the right combinations against the right side.
‘We’ve pretty much had every single combination in there this season. We’ve had Swifty as a six, eight and 10, while Marlon is always a six. Doz has played as a six and an eight as well, while Ebou has done a bit of both.
‘For us it’s about trying to find the right combination to get us some success on Friday.’