View: Connor Ogilvie must improve for Portsmouth v Millwall
John Mousinho will want to see more from Connor Ogilvie when Portsmouth play Millwall on Wednesday.
Portsmouth supporters went into the November international break in high spirits after their 3-1 Championship win over Preston North End at Fratton Park [9 November].
It was only Pompey’s second win of the season in a match which also saw the club boosted by the return of last season’s top scorer Colby Bishop.
As a result, Mousinho and his players would have been raring to go and keen to build on their momentum after two weeks away from club football.
However, they have been made to wait after their scheduled Championship clash with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park was called off on Saturday [23 November].
Therefore, the anticipation to see Portsmouth in action will be at an all-time high among supporters so far for this season when Millwall make the trip to Fratton Park in the Championship on Wednesday [27 November].
And after a tough away fixture with Blackburn was postponed, Portsmouth have been handed a slightly more favourable chance to make it back-to-back wins with a home match.
However, Millwall are eighth in the Championship and unbeaten in their last eight. Therefore, this won’t be an easy night for Portsmouth by any means, and Mousinho will need all of his players at their best, including left-back Ogilvie.
Connor Ogilvie must improve for Portsmouth against Millwall
Ogilvie has started Portsmouth’s last eight matches, scoring two goals in that time, including one in the most recent victory against Preston.
However, despite that strike, Mousinho will want to see more from Ogilvie going forward against Millwall.
Only five teams have conceded fewer times in the Championship than the Lions this season. Therefore, it is clear that Pompey will need to be at their best going forward to break down their opponents, and some of that attacking threat will need to come from the full-backs.
As per Sofascore, Ogilvie struggled on the ball against Preston, only managing to complete 66 per cent of his passes, with just 40 per cent of his crosses accurate (two out of five) and three of his seven long balls accurate.
In addition, while he did play one key pass and of course grab a goal, he also gave possession of the ball away 24 times, something which the 28-year-old cannot afford to do against Millwall.
There isn’t much for Ogilvie to improve on defensively, as he won three of his four aerial duels and five of his eight ground duels against Preston. In addition, he made two clearances, one interception and won four fouls for his side.
However, it is the Englishman’s attacking play that Mousinho will want to see improve.
And if Ogilvie can make those improvements, Portsmouth could be in a good position to make it two straight wins for the first time this season.
In other Portsmouth news, one player is unlikely to start games regularly until January.
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.