John Mousinho makes ‘Harsh’ admission on Zak Swanson decision at Portsmouth
John Mousinho has admitted he found it difficult to leave Zak Swanson out of the Portsmouth starting XI against Oxford United.
Speaking to The News [13 October], the Blues head coach has explained the reasoning behind opting for Jordan Williams in the 1-1 draw at Fratton Park on 5 October.
The two have fluctuated in and out of the starting lineup this season, with Williams also being utilised at centre-back as Mousinho mulled over imminent injury returns.
“Zak’s done really well this season, it was really harsh on him. One bad game among 11 players that played poorly at Stoke – and he found himself out of the side,” he said.
“I wanted to freshen things up a bit for Oxford and I don’t think Zak had one of his better games at Stoke, so I went with Jordan.
“When you’ve got that combination of two right-backs who are right at it, competing with each other, it was the right thing to do to make that change.”
Zak Swanson in harsh Portsmouth decision
Mousinho operates a meritocratic team selection policy at Portsmouth, which is refreshing as he is not afraid to drop his senior charges.
The last thing fans want to see at Fratton Park are out-of-form players consistently fielded over those arguably more deserving of a chance to freshen up the side.
The head coach acts on individual merit heading into each match, hence his reaction to the awful Stoke defeat by flexing the changes for Oxford – some worked on the day, some didn’t, it’s football.
With the treatment table not quite as populated as at the start of the Championship campaign, Pompey now need to use the competition as an outlet to maximise player performance, knowing no one’s shirt is secured.
The winless Blues are about to delve into a winnable block of games which could transpire to be early six-pointers already in the league this term.
In other Portsmouth news, Ian Darke backs the boss’ goalkeeping decision.
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