Portsmouth boss on why under-fire ex-West Brom man is crucial to first-team success
The former Chelsea man has made 16 appearances and scored once since returning to Fratton Park in the summer
John Mousinho shrugged off criticism of John Swift and insisted: Don’t change the way you play.
The former West Brom man came under fire last weekend after his loose pass in Blackburn’s half initiated the counter-attack which saw the visitors claim the lead.
Indeed, the decision to later replace him on 57 minutes with Mark Kosznovszky was warmly greeted by some supporters, who were unhappy with Swift’s performance.
Operating as a six at present, it’s a role Mousinho concedes isn’t a natural one for the 30-year-old, who returned to his home-town club in the summer after spells at Chelsea, Reading and the Hawthorns.
Nonetheless, Pompey’s head coach is keen to exploit the talented Swift’s creativity and comfort on the ball - even if he should lose possession on occasions.
Portsmouth boss: There are going to be a load of mistakes made all the time
Mousinho told The News: ‘What happened with John and Blackburn’s goal had nothing to do with my thought process of substituting him at the time.
‘If we ask players to play football then we’re going to give the ball away, it’s going to happen. We gave the ball away probably about 150 times in that game and, unfortunately, on that occasion, we gave the ball away and didn't defend properly.
‘It’s one of those things, there are going to be a load of mistakes made all the time. If we aren’t going to make mistakes, then we might as well pack up and go home.
‘John’s had a real impact whenever he’s played - and we’ve now got him back into the side after a little spell out.
‘Firstly, we’re asking John to play out of position as a six. Secondly, we are asking him to create, we’re asking him to try to do things with the ball which we think he can do and work to his strengths.
‘A lot of the time that’s taking risks and a lot of the time that is trying to play. Ultimately, if you want to be safe, we can get the ball and hit the channel every time or hit the centre-forward and try to pick up seconds, but that’s not the way we want to play at the moment.
‘He gives us different options. John is probably a victim sometimes with his style, but he works his socks off, his numbers are always through the roof in terms of his defensive contribution and what he does out of possession.
‘We just take everything objectively and look at that.’
WIth Marlon Pack returning from suspension and Kosznovszky’s positive impact in turning around the Blackburn game to win 2-1, Swift could find his place under threat at Derby on Saturday.
He only recently returned to the starting XI following a five-game absence, with Andre Dozzell and then Pack serving one-match bans.
‘He has shown he is capable of filling that role’
Overall, Swift has made 16 appearances this season, of which 13 have been Championship starts, while he scored in October’s 1-1 draw at Leicester.
Mousinho added: ‘I believe he can play in that six role. He played there earlier in the season against Oxford, a really physical side, and we beat them.
‘He played there against Preston, who are flying high and in third place. He played there against Southampton, which was one of our better performances of the season.
‘He’s had plenty of opportunities to show he is more than capable of filling that role - and he has shown it.’
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