View: Mousinho surely has no choice but to axe 0% Moxon for Portsmouth clash v Derby
John Mousinho will be delighted to have Andre Dozzell available for selection again at Portsmouth.
Pompey are finally on an upward trajectory after a difficult start to the season, with one player really starting to come into his own.
Mousinho’s side are just five points off 14th-placed Preston North End, with two games in hand after a series of postponements which could cause a “financial headache” at Fratton Park.
They are unbeaten in their past four matches, earning their latest Championship point after a 0-0 draw with Norwich City at Fratton Park on Tuesday [10 December].
It was an even more impressive result considering Mousinho was without key players such as Callum Lang and Dozzell, who were both suspended.
However, after the performance of Owen Moxon, who was deputising in midfield for Dozzell against the Canaries, Mousinho will be relieved that the latter is available for selection once again when Pompey travel to Pride Park Stadium to face Derby County in the Championship on Friday [13 December], a match which the Portsmouth boss could make two changes for.
Owen Moxon struggles for Portsmouth against Norwich City
Moxon’s start against Norwich was his first in the Championship, with the 26-year-old having played just 91 minutes in the competition this season.
Therefore, it is hard to blame the midfielder for not putting in a top performance. However, in what was a rare opportunity for him to prove he should be starting ahead of Dozzell, Moxon failed to capitalise.
As a result, whether or not a lack of game this season was a contributing factor, Mousinho has no choice but to drop Moxon and bring Dozzell back into the starting lineup at Derby.
On an evening where most players put in a solid shift, Moxon’s performance really stuck out. As per Sofascore, he managed to complete just 63 per cent of his passes, with none of those key, while zero per cent of his long balls were accurate.
In addition, while he did manage one shot at goal, it was blocked, and the midfielder was also unsuccessful with his one dribble attempt.
Defensively he did chip in somewhat, making four tackles. However, he also gave away four fouls, and won just four of his nine ground duels and two of his six aerial duels, while also losing possession 16 times.
Therefore, Mousinho won’t have much thinking to do when it comes to who he will start alongside Freddie Potts in midfield at Pride Park Stadium.
And the next time Moxon gets an opportunity such as the one against Norwich, he must make sure he does much better.
In other Portsmouth news, the club are getting the best out of one player at just the right time.
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