Adil Aouchiche ‘crushes’ John Mousinho doubts in Portsmouth loss v Preston
Adil Aouchiche was a silver lining for Portsmouth in their 2-1 defeat against Preston North End at Deepdale on Saturday.
Portsmouth have been pulled back into the relegation race after suffering back-to-back defeats against Plymouth and Preston following their shock 1-0 win against Leeds United at Fratton Park.
The demoralising loss at Deepdale on 15 March saw the gap between Pompey and the relegation reduced to just four points, although four teams still separate them.
The international break could not have perhaps come at a better time for John Mousinho as it allows him to take a break before preparing his team for a final push, with eight games left to play.
Aouchiche shines at Deepdale
However, it was not all doom and gloom for Portsmouth at Deepdale and Aouchiche gave the fans something to be positive about.
Anyone who watched the game would agree that the right-hand side looked the most impressive for Pompey against Preston, although Terry Devlin’s numbers might suggest otherwise.
There is no denying that Aouchiche was one of the standout performers for Mousinho’s side, although he was only on the pitch for 59 minutes.
During his time on the pitch, the Sunderland loanee registered 35 touches and completed 16 of his 19 passes (84 per cent accuracy), creating two chances in the process, as per FotMob.
| Minutes | Touches | Accurate Passes | Chances Created | Tackles Won | Duels Won |
| 59 | 35 | 16/19 (84%) | 2 | 3/3 | 5/6 |
It is worth noting that five of his touches came in the opposition box, implying his tendency to get himself into dangerous positions.
Aouchiche also did not shy away from his defensive duties, winning each of the three tackles he attempted.
He made seven recoveries while registering four other defensive actions, and that was in addition to winning five of his six duels.
89' | Josh Murphy's free-kick is cleared as far as Adil Aouchiche, who unleashes a rocket into the top corner from the edge of the box.
— Portsmouth FC (@Pompey) March 12, 2025
🔵 1-2 🟢 // #Pompey https://t.co/IgI9QTtSRg
Mousinho rues Aouchiche decision for Portsmouth
There is an argument to be made that Mousinho was wrong to substitute Aouchiche against Preston, especially that early in the game.
However, looking at the brighter side of things, the Pompey doubts will not have any qualms about playing the 22-year-old for the full 90 minutes moving forward after he crushed any doubts he had.
The attacker is high on confidence after scoring his first goal of the season against Plymouth and Mousinho should let him loose when Portsmouth return to action against Blackburn Rovers after the international break on 29 March.