View: Portsmouth defence must be up to the Championship task and continue from last season
Portsmouth face the challenge of maintaining last season’s excellent defensive record against a higher standard of opposition.
John Mousinho’s Blues can crack the case of the Championship by remaining resolute at the back and the team’s mettle will be put through thorough testing with a relentless handful of opening fixtures.
In League One last term, Pompey kept 19 clean sheets having lost just five times.
The increasingly settled defensive unit averted danger very well when the side were at risk of conceding chances, averaging 12.5 tackles per game and 18.9 clearances every match [Sofascore].
Portsmouth were comfortable in possession, with a pass accuracy in their own half of 87.4% and a superb ability to transition into attack.
Portsmouth will face tougher tests
It’s a case of challenge accepted for Portsmouth now, with the gap between League One and the Championship a significant one.
Mousinho and his staff have been ruthless in reshaping the squad with last season’s key defenders, Joe Rafferty and Sean Raggett, deemed unsuitable for the next level – the duo have since moved together to Rotherham United to hunt another promotion.
Conor Shaughnessy and Connor Ogilvie have been rewarded with new deals for an excellent campaign, with the pair ready for the next test in their careers having collected only nine Championship matches combined – all for Shaughnessy whilst at Leeds United.
Shaughnessy scooped the club’s Player of the Year award last season and with good reason, having averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.09 throughout his 45 league appearances last time out.
The imminent injury returns of Regan Poole and Tom McIntyre will be massive for Pompey – and as the old cliche goes, they will feel like new signings for Mousinho as a new chapter begins at Fratton Park.
In other Portsmouth news, the club have a Bolton full-back on their radar.
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