View: Mousinho has to axe 18% Will Norris after horror show in Stoke City v Portsmouth
Portsmouth should look to give Nicolas Schmid a chance between the sticks after a shocking Will Norris performance against Stoke City.
The Pompey stopper was part of a defence which utterly capitulated at the bet365 Stadium, conceding five goals between the 43rd and 54th minutes to eventually go down 6-1.
John Mousinho’s team remain the only side in the division not to win a match, and were humiliated in what was considered to be the start of a more moderate run of fixtures following a tough start.
Oxford United, Mousinho’s former club, visit Fratton Park this weekend and the team selection will be the most intriguing yet.
Portsmouth have to drop Will Norris among others
Portsmouth have been at best forgiven for tough fixtures and at worst horrifically naive in the Championship so far, some of it expected – but Wednesday at Stoke was unforgivable.
Wholesale changes are needed, especially in the backline, as Narcis Pelach secured his first win as Potters manager with his side scoring at will past Norris.
While it is far from solely his fault, Fotmob exposed his dreadful display which saw him outdo his xG conceded of 3.49, making one key error and just two saves as six flew past him.
On the ball was not much better. The 31-year-old completed just 41% of his 31 passes – mainly from his own penalty area under little pressure – and executed just four long balls out of 22 attempted, a paltry 18% average.
The debate over whether the time has come for Schmid to replace Norris had already surfaced, mainly down to the fact Pompey spent funds to bring in the Austrian stopper from his nation’s top flight – surely with a succession plan in mind.
The wrath at Norris comes from the capabilities he has shown, with some great glimmers early on this season as well as 19 clean sheets in the promotion campaign of 2023-24, with a save rate of 72% [Sofascore].
It was a simply horrific night for all concerned in blue, and much better must be displayed at Oxford – let’s just hope it was, from a Pompey perspective, a one-off and we wait to gauge Mousinho’s approach with his defensive players in particular.
In other Portsmouth news, David Norris discusses Connor Ogilvie and Jacob Farrell in the left-back battle.
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