View: Mousinho must start rarely-seen 100% Portsmouth ace v Sheffield Wednesday
Kusini Yengi deserves to start for Portsmouth against Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship at Fratton Park on Friday (25 October).
Pompey failed to build on their first win of the season as they were beaten 2-0 by Cardiff City in Wales on Tuesday (22 October).
Having finally earned their first three Championship points with a hard-fought 2-1 win over QPR at Loftus Road on Saturday (19 October), confidence would have been high upon arrival at the Cardiff City Stadium.
However, the players failed to demonstrate that same confidence on the pitch, as John Mousinho’s side left empty-handed.
As a result, any momentum the club felt they were building after losing just one of their previous four matches heading into the Cardiff City fixture has subsequently been flattened.
Luckily for Portsmouth, they don’t have to wait long for their next opportunity to put things right, as they return to Fratton Park this week for the first time in almost three weeks after back-to-back away games.
After their most recent defeat, Mousinho’s side are sat bottom of the Championship. However, they are just four points behind next opponents Sheffield Wednesday, and a win could see them start to climb the table.
Therefore, Mousinho must ensure he gets his team selection spot on, and that includes handing a first Championship start to 25-year-old Yengi.
Kusini Yengi must start for Portsmouth v Sheffield Wednesday
Mousinho made the right decision to recall Paddy Lane against the Bluebirds. However, the forward was forced off injured after just 15 minutes, with Yengi replacing him.
An injury to goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid just 16 minutes later perhaps demonstrates this injury-hit Portsmouth side are struggling to cope with such a busy run of fixtures.
Therefore, Yengi could be the perfect player to introduce against Sheffield Wednesday, especially considering the incredibly short turnaround after the defeat to Cardiff City.
Yengi has only played four times in the Championship this season, yet to start a game. However, he proved when coming on for Lane on Tuesday that he is deserving of a start.
As per Sofascore, the Australian succeded with 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles (three out of three), while playing two key passes and creating one big chance.
He also chipped in defensively, winning five of his seven ground duels and making one clearance. While he did commit three fouls, he also won two fouls for his side, on what was a relatively impressive showing.
In contrast, fellow forward Jacob Murphy succeded with just 50 per cent of his dribble attempts and failed to play a key pass, while Callum Lang missed one big chance and won just three of his 11 ground duels.
Therefore, this is a clear signal to Mousinho that Yengi should start against Sheffield Wednesday.
He was by far the most dangerous Portsmouth player in midweek, and his display deserves to be rewarded.
In other Portsmouth news, Paul Merson has shared his truthful analysis of Pompey in the Championship.
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