View: 20% Portsmouth man lets Mousinho down despite win v Preston
Regan Poole hasn’t been at his best for Portsmouth in recent weeks.
Pompey supporters were given a much-needed boost ahead of the November international break as, after a tough few weeks, John Mousinho’s side finally got back to winning ways as they earned just their second victory of the season, and first at Fratton Park.
Their 3-1 win over Preston North End lifted the Blues off the bottom of the Championship table, and the surprise return of Colby Bishop, which was marked with a goal, capped off the finest day of Portsmouth’s season yet.
It couldn’t have come at a more convenient time either. Had Portsmouth been consigned to yet another defeat ahead of the international break, the mood would’ve been incredibly low for two weeks, and the lack of opportunity to respond might have caused things to spiral.
However, instead, the players will now be full of confidence and desperate to get back out on the pitch when they travel to Ewood Park to play Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday 23 November.
Blackburn are currently sat ninth in the Championship. Therefore, a victory at Ewood Park would mark a real statement of intent from Mousinho and his men.
However, one player who the Portsmouth boss might want to consider dropping is Poole, with the central defender not at his best last time out despite victory over Preston.
Regan Poole struggles for Portsmouth despite win over Preston North End
Poole was left with questions to answer after an incredibly disappointing display in the 1-0 Championship defeat against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on 5 November.
And despite his side picking up three points against Preston, the defender once again wasn’t at his best.
As per Sofascore, although Poole made four clearances and one interception, he was also dribbled past once – the only player in Portsmouth’s starting back-four on the day that this happened too.
In addition, he won just 50 per cent of his ground duels (one out of two) and only 20 per cent of his aerial duels (one out of five), while also giving possession away seven times.
While he did complete 77 per cent of his passes, and win a foul for his side, just 20 per cent of Poole’s long balls on the day were accurate (one out of five).
Therefore, it was an underwhelming display, to say the least. This will be of particular concern to Mousinho.
If Pompey are to build some momentum off the back of their win against Preston, all of their players will need to be at their best in the coming weeks.
Therefore, if Poole continues to struggle, regardless of whether or not Portsmouth are winning or losing, Mousinho might need to make the tough call to drop the defender to the bench, so long as he has the options in the squad to replace him.
In other Portsmouth news, Kusini Yengi has shared a “difficult” verdict after joining up with Australia.
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