It goes without saying that a selection headache when you have all your options available is so much better than a head-scratcher when injuries and suspension have taken hold.
Those days are rare, as current Pompey head coach John Mousinho will testify. But what would he do if everyone reported fit and available for selection?
With a squad that currently tops League One bursting with options, there’d be plenty not even considered for the bench.
So what would that starting XI and bench look like? Obviously, a lot depends on the opposition and individual tactics needed for said opponents.
But here’s our guess that how the Blues would look if Mousinho’s squad was afforded a clean bill of health.
5. Centre-back 2: Conor Shaughnessy
Let's be honest, none of us were expecting Conor Shaughnessy to be a Pompey regular this season. Signed in the summer on a free transfer from Burton, it was widely assumed that both Sean Raggett and Ryley Towler would be ahead pf him in the pecking order. That was backed up when the 27-year-old wasn't even named on the bench for the season-opener against Bristol Rovers. However, fast forward to now and the Irishman has started every League One game since. He's a tower of strength at the back - and he's not too bad in front of goal either, as his late winner against Wycombe proved. Photo: Jason Brown
6. Left-back: Connor Ogilvie
In all honesty, this is the first Pompey position that has made me think. At the start of the season, it wouldn't have been in doubt. After all, the former Gillingham man is Pompey's Mr Reliable. However, since picking up a groin injury during the win against Barnsley last month, Jack Sparkes has proven he's no slouch, either, in the five games he played there. Given his consistency over a sustained period for the Blues, Ogilvie deserves the left-back slot. However, Sparkes has demonstrated that it will no longer be an automatic selection. Photo: Jason Brown
7. Centre-midfield 1: Marlon Pack
The Pompey skipper currently finds himself on the sidelines after he picked up a ankle ligament injury thanks to Charlie Wyke's tackle on the Blues' visit to Wigan last month. A period of 4-6 weeks was initially earmarked, with a return in mid-November put in the diary. Pompey do have options in midfield, as Ben Stevenson has proven is Pack's absence. Yet the Buckland boy was having an impressive season right up until Wyke's decision to take him out at the DW Stadium. When fit, Pack plays. Photo: Jason Brown
8. Centre-midfield 2: Joe Morrell
There's no denying, the Welsh international has been proving his worth week in, week out ever since he returned from the World Cup last year. The odd suspension blots his paper but then, what else would you expect from someone as committed to the midfielder! Photo: Jason Brown