‘Calculated risks’: Portsmouth boss’ transfer admission in hunt for attacking power
Pompey are needing to find Championship attacking answers, with John Mousinho recognising the risks associated with the club’s transfer hunt for explosive attributes going forward.
John Mousinho admitted his Pompey team are still short of the attacking pace and power they sought this summer.
And the Blues boss acknowledged ‘calculated risks’ were taken when looking to bring in explosive options going forward, ahead of his side’s second Championship campaign.
‘Calculated risks’ taken by Pompey in transfer market
Pompey look to improve what has been a sturdy opening to the term, as they face Stoke City at Fratton Park tomorrow. Finding the right formula in forward areas is a key consideration for the Pompey head coach, with Mousinho without a number of players in those areas.
Adrian Segecic was forced off with what looked a concerning ankle issue against Coventry, with new boy Franco Umeh not featuring since signing from Crystal Palace - and still out for five weeks. Harvey Blair is missing with a slight hamstring worry, after five months out with the same issue while Callum Lang (hamstring) is not expected to be back until next month.
Josh Murphy is slated to be back against the Potters, after missing the past six games with an ankle issue. Minhyeok Yang, Conor Chaplin and Florian Bianchini are all new faces who’ve also bolstered attacking options behind the striker.
Mousinho has acknowledged Pompey are having to adapt their approach with absences concentrated in forward areas, but feels that will change as options return to the fray.
He said: ‘Ultimately, a lot of head coaches and managers want to recruit pace and power. It’s very difficult to find.
‘If you look at Murph, we picked him up on a free because he’d been in the wilderness for a couple of years and had an excellent four or five months with Oxford. If Murph had been on the trajectory he was early in his career he would’ve been way beyond us - and we don’t necessarily get him.
‘We managed to recruit him. In order to get a similar profile to Murph we do have to take those calculated risks in the likes of Harvey and Franco. We have that pace and running power up top in Callum, but he’s been injured as well. So there’s a few things.
‘That’s what we did recruit for in the summer (recruited pace and power), but it’s been missing slightly. We have to take that on the chin and move on, but things will evolve and change as those players come back.’
Pompey have faced Championship fliers in succession
Pompey complete a run of games this weekend, which has seen them face the sides who started the week in the top four places in succession.
Positive results were gained against Middlesbrough and Leicester, before defeat against impressive leaders Coventry City. Going into the weekend in 17th place on 13 points is a fair return for his side so far, in Mousinho’s eyes.
He added: ‘We’re going through that run at the minute.
‘Before Tuesday night the top four were Middlesbrough, Leicester, Coventry and Stoke - though Stoke have dropped a bit. Those were our four games and the first two we navigated well. Coventry we were competitive enough without being competitive enough to win the game, against the outstanding side in the league this season who’ve hardly conceded a goal and scored the most in the country.
‘We’re at the back end of that, but things don’t get any easier in terms of who we’re playing. We have to make sure we’re on top of ourselves and performing to the right levels.
‘But I think we’re about on par. Probably the one game which has been disappointing is the Sheffield Wednesday game, otherwise we’ve been about where we’ve expected to be.’