View: Portsmouth must be patient with Colby Bishop after 29% display v Coventry
Colby Bishop will need some time to get back to his best for Portsmouth.
John Mousinho’s side will spend Christmas outside of the Championship relegation zone after their huge 4-1 win over Coventry City at Fratton Park on Saturday [21 December].
While not every player was at their best, Callum Lang’s sensational display, which saw him score all four goals for Portsmouth, was enough to carry the club to another important three points.
Lang had been out of form in recent weeks heading into the clash with Frank Lampard’s side. Therefore, Mousinho and the Fratton Park faithful would have been delighted to see their top scorer back to his very best, as the 26-year-old made it nine Championship goals this season.
And the club will need Lang to continue finding the back of the net as they look to maintain Championship status, especially considering last season’s top scorer Bishop still looks as though he needs some time to reach his previous levels.
Bishop underwent a serious heart surgery in the summer, and there would have been fears that the striker might not have been able to play football again.
Therefore, just the fact that he is back on the pitch at Fratton Park will delight Portsmouth fans, especially considering he has already managed to find the back of the net twice since his return to action.
However, his display against Coventry proved that he will need some time to perform consistently at a high level again, and Mousinho and fans must show patience.
Portsmouth must be patient with Colby Bishop
As per Sofascore, while Bishop did grab an assist on Saturday, he also struggled in front of goal, seeing two of his four shots blocked while he also missed one big chance.
In addition, he struggled on the ball, completing just 29 per cent of his passes, while failing to provide an accurate cross or long ball.
Defensively the 28-year-old also struggled, winning just 40 per cent of his ground duels (four out of 10) and five of his 11 aerial duels, while he also gave away two fouls and was dribbled past once. However, what was perhaps most concerning was the fact Bishop gave possession away an astonishing 28 times.
It was a performance which clearly signaled that the forward will need a few more matches under his belt at least until he is back to his very best
However, considering just how important he is to the club, he will no doubt be afforded as much time as he needs.
In other Portsmouth news, a finance expert has shared if the club might spend significantly in January.
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