Matt Ritchie must step up at Fratton Park after Portsmouth injury blow
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho is going to need Matt Ritchie to step up after Paddy Lane’s devastating injury blow.
Ritchie grabbed a brace as Pompey recorded a 2-1 Championship win over Middlesbrough at Fratton Park on Saturday (18 January), with the forward revealing what has been on his mind after the match [via BBC Sounds, 18 January].
However, while it feels as though Portsmouth have taken a step in the right direction on the field, it would have felt like two steps backwards for the club off the field after Lane was ruled out for the remainder of the season [via Andy Moon, 18 January].
It is a huge blow for Mousinho’s side who have suffered massively with injury issues this term. While Lane hasn’t hit the heights he reached last year this season, the forward has still started 13 of the club’s 22 matches in the Championship and is an important part of the squad.
As a result, Mousinho has been left limited when it comes to his options in attack, and while there is still time in the winter transfer window, bringing a quality player in could prove difficult after a recent financial review via the Pompey Supporters’ Trust (30 December).
Therefore, the Portsmouth boss is going to need to rely on the players he already has at his disposal to step up if Pompey want to avoid the drop, and that includes 35-year-old Ritchie.
Matt Ritchie must step up after Paddy Lane injury blow at Portsmouth
Ritchie rejoined Portsmouth in the summer and has started 12 matches in the Championship thus far this season. However, with Lane now unavailable, the ex-Newcastle United man will likely be called upon much more in the coming months.
Therefore, on paper, grabbing a brace in a big win for the club seems like the perfect way to demonstrate that he is ready to step up. However, Ritchie’s overall performance showcased that there is still a lot for the Englishman to work on.
As per Sofascore, while Ritchie did play three key passes in addition to his two goals against Middlesbrough, his overall passing accuracy was only 71 per cent, while just three of his seven crosses into the box were accurate.
In addition, only two of his eight long balls were accurate, and he also gave possession away 20 times while conceding three fouls. On the ball, there was a lot of room for improvement too, with the winger succeeding with just 25 per cent of his attempted dribbles.
However, it was his defensive contributions which are perhaps the most in need of improvement, with Ritchie winning just three of his eight ground duels while losing all three of his aerial duels on Saturday.
Overall, Mousinho is unlikely to be too concerned and would have been happy with Ritchie’s two goals.
However, with Lane ruled out, Ritchie will likely become a more regular presence in the starting lineup, which means Mousinho is going to need to demand a lot more of the veteran.
In other Portsmouth news, the women’s team have completed a triple deal as a goalkeeper departs.
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