Rasmus Nicolaisen is three and easy as Portsmouth boss weighs up formation change
Defender Rasmus Nicolaisen said he’d be happy to operate as part of a Pompey back three if Kenny Jackett decided on a formation change.
The Blues boss is a firm exponent of the 4-2-3-1 system, but freshened things up by playing 3-4-3 during Tuesday night’s EFL Trophy win at Southend United.
That saw Nicolaisen partnered alongside James Bolton and Paul Downing in a new-look defensive line-up as Jackett made 10 changes to the team that beat Burton in the league last Saturday.
The experiment worked well, with the Blues scoring three and keeping a clean sheet.
But it remains to be seen whether the manager sees a future in the formation.
Jackett must also decide how to incorporate FC Midtjylland loanee Nicolaisen into his starting XI more regularly, with the Dane currently behind Jack Whatmough and Sean Raggett in the central-defensive pecking order.
The defender is here to play games after all
And if that’s in a back three or a four, he doesn’t mind. Nicolaisen is confident he can produce in both systems.
The loanee said: ‘I played in a three in Denmark and I think it's a great system – not just for the forwards but also for the backs.
‘That's also another opportunity (for me to play).
‘We will see what the manager prefers, but I have confidence in both. I'm happy plying in both.
‘We played with four at the back in Midtjylland but a year ago we changed it from three to four, so I've been playing both.
‘I also think it's a good tactical move to have as back-up, if we're not in the game.
‘Sometimes change is good and it would be good if we could use both.’
Nicolaisen said he was keen to get more games under his belt after making his bow at Southend.
Jackett might be tempted to throw him in against MK Dons today.
However, the centre-back added further patience might be needed.
‘That's what I'm here for – to play enough games and, of course, to help Portsmouth with their ambitions. That's my aim.
‘But I also have two good defenders I need to close down to get into the starting XI.
‘But there are a lot of games and the need for a large squad.
So, yeah, we will see. I'm just excited to be here and to see what happens this season.’
A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron
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