Mousinho needs to axe Cohen Bramall for Portsmouth v Millwall
Cohen Bramall does not deserve to start for Portsmouth against Millwall after what happened in the victory over Blackburn Rovers.
After a disappointing week ahead of the March international break, John Mousinho’s side returned in style by beating Blackburn 1-0 in the Championship at Fratton Park on Saturday (29 March).
Josh Murphy scored the only goal of the match, with Colby Bishop sending his fellow forward a message after the big win, which leaves Pompey seven points clear of the drop zone.
And after a result which helped Portsmouth take a big step to maintaining Championship status, it would be hard for Mousinho to pick out many negatives.
However, he needs to ensure this form continues, and that means making some tough decisions, such as dropping Bramall to the bench after the left-back’s display at Fratton Park.
Bramall struggles for Portsmouth v Blackburn
Bramall has made a huge impression since joining Portsmouth, and the club should no doubt look to tie him down to a new contract at Fratton Park, with the 28-year-old’s current deal expiring at the end of the season.
However, against Blackburn, the defender wasn’t at his best, and Mousinho should consider rotating when Portsmouth travel to the Den to take on Millwall in the Championship on Saturday (5 April).
| Fixture | Venue | Date |
| V Millwall | The Den | 5 April |
| V Coventry | Coventry Building Society Arena | 9 April |
| V Derby County | Fratton Park | 12 April |
| V Norwich City | Carrow Road | 18 April |
| V Watford | Fratton Park | 21 April |
| V Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough | 26 April |
| V Hull City | Fratton Park | 3 May |
As per Sofascore, while he won two of his three ground duels and made two clearances, Bramall also won just 50 per cent of his aerial duels and gave possession away 28 times.
In addition, while one of his passes was key, his overall accuracy was just 68 per cent, and he also failed to provide an accurate cross from three attempts or accurate long ball from five attempts, while failing with his one attempted dribble.
Luckily, Mousinho has room to rotate, with Connor Ogilvie, who put in a top performance against Blackburn at centre-back, able to move to left-back, which could then see Alexander Milošević come in for his debut in the heart of defence.
Mousinho needs to keep things fresh at Portsmouth
While Bramall has been in fine form, there is no harm in rotating to keep things fresh.
It looks as though Portsmouth could be headed for survival. However, Mousinho won’t want his players to get too comfortable, and dropping Bramall after a subpar performance would send a message to the rest of the squad that there is no room for complacency at Fratton Park.