View: John Mousinho should experiment by axing 67% Portsmouth ace v West Brom
Christian Saydee should make way for Portsmouth against West Brom at Fratton Park on Sunday (15 September).
It has been a tough start to the season for John Mousinho’s side. Considering Pompey’s fixture list, three draws and a defeat isn’t the worst form.
However, supporters at Fratton Park will no doubt be desperate to see their side pick up a first win since returning to the Championship.
Things don’t get any easier after the international break with the visit of second-placed West Brom before back-to-back matches against two sides relegated from the Premier League last season, Burnley (21 September) and Sheffield United (28 September).
Therefore, Mousinho might be wise to consider shaking things up as he looks to get the best out of his Portsmouth team in the Championship.
And one player who has struggled and could therefore make way is striker Saydee.
John Mousinho to drop Christian Saydee in Portsmouth v West Brom
Saydee played 36 times in EFL League One last season, but could only find the back of the net twice while providing three assists.
Colby Bishop was the main man at Fratton Park in Pompey’s title-winning campaign. However, his recent heart surgery has ruled him out indefinitely, which has left Mousinho with a problem to solve.
And it appears so far as though Saydee is not the answer to that problem.
Although he is the club’s joint top scorer this season alongside Callum Lang with two goals, both of those strikes arrived in the same match, the 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough (24 August).
Other than that brace, Saydee has done very little to impress or demonstrate that he is the man to fill Bishop’s rather large boots.
In his most recent outing, the 3-1 defeat to Sunderland at Fratton Park (31 August), Saydee had very little impact on proceedings. He was only able to complete 67 per cent of his passes, was unable to provide an accurate cross into the box from two attempts, and failed to register a shot at goal (Sofascore).
Even against Middlesbrough, despite his brace, his performance was far from convincing. He completed just two of his five dribble attempts, only 46 per cent of his passes, and won just two of his eight ground duels and three of his nine aerial duels.
His first start of the season came in the 0-0 draw with Luton Town at Kenilworth Road (17 August) where he once again failed to have a shot, and made just 18 touches of the ball despite spending 78 minutes on the pitch.
With just six goals in five matches this season, it is clear that Portsmouth’s attack could do with some tweaking, and Mousinho should perhaps start against West Brom by dropping Saydee and going with something fresh.
A first win of the season against the Baggies would be huge. However, Saydee doesn’t seem to be in the goalscoring form to fire Portsmouth to that much-needed victory.
In other Portsmouth news, one pundit has predicted how Pompey’s Championship season will pan out.
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