'A big call': Portsmouth boss' centre-forward admission as he eyes attacking changes against Blackburn
Marko Milovanovic has an ongoing calf injury and is struggling to face Blackburn on Saturday
John Mousinho is weighing up a centre-forward change against Blackburn.
And Tyrese Shade is firmly in the frame to replace Colby Bishop leading the line in the ongoing absence of Mark Milovanovic.
Mousinho has preferred Shade on the left wing since his £1.8m arrival from Burton, starting there against Cardiff and Charlton.
Nonetheless, the versatile 26-year-old is primarily a striker, having registered the majority of his 28 goals over the last two seasons from the position.
And with Bishop continuing to struggle - with three goals scored in his last 50 Championship appearances - Pompey’s head coach admits Shade is being considered for a centre-forward role on Saturday.
‘They are very, very different centre-forwards’
Mousinho told The News: ‘Yes, Tyrese has come into that thought process, we’ll see what that looks like over the next couple of days.
‘We’ve got Colby and Tyrese as two centre-forward options. We have been using Tyrese off the left, but we’ll see what that looks like.
‘They are very, very different centre-forwards. Maybe we’ll have to slightly play to the strengths of each individual player, that’s the best way to put it, depending on who is playing on Saturday.
‘That’s what we’ve always tried to do through the years. Regardless of who the player is and what position, we try to play to their strengths.
‘Tyrese is a very direct, quick centre-forward. He likes to run in behind, but he’s also decent enough with his back to goal as well.
‘When he plays as a centre-forward, he doesn't mind drifting into those left-sided positions anyway, so that’s one of the reasons why we thought he might play there.’
Milovanovic 50/50 to face Blackburn
Milovanovic, who has a calf issue, is regarded as 50/50 to feature against Blackburn, although the Blues may opt to err on the side of caution and not risk him.
There is also the opportunity to continue resting him over the three-week international break to ensure the problem clears up in time to face Southampton on October 11.
Shade admitted to The News at the weekend that he doesn’t know the last time he played regularly on the left wing, having largely operated as a centre-forward in recent years.
Regardless, he’s adamant he has no qualms playing out wide to benefit his new club, having finally been given a shot at Championship football at the age of 26.
Certainly the possibility of the former Eastleigh man playing as a striker against Blackburn is intriguing, particularly if it means Bishop is dropped to the bench.
And Mousinho admitted the selection decision represents a ‘big call’.
He added: ‘Every single position is a big call, whether we win, lose or draw. We’ve got really good competition in the squad for a lot of places.’
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