View: John Mousinho must axe 25% flop after Portsmouth defeat v West Brom
John Mousinho has no choice but to axe Callum Lang after his display for Portsmouth against West Brom on Sunday (15 September).
Pompey’s tough start to life back in the EFL Championship continued as the Baggies ran out 3-0 winners at Fratton Park.
Despite seeing less of the ball, Carlos Corberan’s side were good value for their victory, generating 1.91 expected goals compared to Portsmouth’s 0.59 (Sofascore).
It has been almost five months since Mousinho’s side won a competitive match of football, with three draws and two losses on the board in the Championship so far this season.
However, it has been a tough start to the campaign in terms of their fixtures, and things don’t get any easier as Pompey prepare for back-to-back matches against Burnley and Sheffield United – two teams relegated from last season’s Premier League.
Therefore, if Mousinho wants to get his side moving in the right direction, he needs to consider dropping Lang from the starting lineup, especially after his display against the Baggies.
John Mousinho must drop Callum Lang after Portsmouth v West Brom
Lang arrived at Fratton Park from Wigan in January, scoring four goals and providing one assist in 12 EFL League One matches for Pompey.
While he has scored twice and provided one assist in the Championship this season, his overall displays over the past few matches haven’t been positive, and he proved against West Brom that he should be dropped for the trip to Turf Moor on Saturday (21 September).
Playing in an advanced midfield position at Fratton Park, Lang completed just 79 per cent of his passes, although two of these were key [WhoScored].
In addition, he failed to provide an accurate cross into the box or long ball forward, while he was also successful with just 25 per cent of his attempted dribbles.
Perhaps most crucially, Lang missed one big chance, while he saw five of his shots blocked and a sixth miss the target completely.
Defensively was where he really struggled, winning just two of his 11 ground duels and 50 per cent of his aerial duels, while being dribbled past once.
As per WhoScored, he also gave the ball away 13 times on an afternoon to forget for Lang, leaving Mousinho with a tough decision to make.
Lang has started all five of Portsmouth’s Championship matches this season. However, it might be time for the 26-year-old to be taken out of the spotlight for a week or two.
In other Portsmouth news, Mousinho has shared an update on Colby Bishop.
For more Portsmouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.