Ian Darke shares what he has heard about Portsmouth loanee Adil Aouchiche
Portsmouth are far from out of the woods yet after taking nothing from their last two Championship matches on the road.
Survival remains out of guarantee after agonising late defeats at Millwall and even more so Coventry City within the past five days.
John Mousinho has to revive his Pompey side to maintain their season-saving home form when they face survival rivals Derby County this Saturday (12 April) at Fratton Park.
One player in particular has been analysed after he was given a start against Coventry at the CBS Arena.
Adil Aouchiche given full assessment by Ian Darke
Aouchiche signed for Portsmouth from Sunderland on a late-January loan deal, and has since shown glimmers of what he can do.
The Frenchman has operated both centrally as a number 10 since Callum Lang’s injury and also out wide, having been deployed on the right by Mousinho against Coventry as Matt Ritchie was rested from the starting line-up.
The highlight of Aouchiche’s stint on the South Coast was his rifling strike against Plymouth Argyle on 12 March, which was unfortunately not enough to take anything from a match which ended in a shock result in bottom-placed Argyle’s favour.
TV commentator and Blues fan Ian Darke has issued a full appraisal on what he has made of Aouchiche, up against what Sunderland fans have deduced over the 18 months he has spent on Wearside.
“Aouchiche has very quick feet, but I wouldn’t say he’s a number 10. I reckon he’s more effective on the wing. He works his socks off, tracks back in the same mould as Callum Lang, but maybe just hasn’t impacted games as much as he’d have liked,” Darke explained, exclusively to Pompey News.
“He probably hasn’t been able to hit the heights he perhaps wanted to at Fratton Park – apart from that goal against Plymouth – but you get the feeling watching him that there is more to come in the next few weeks.
“From what I’ve heard, I think Sunderland fans generally rate him but have been frustrated by his lack of end product. But what I will say is for a loan player, he seems very integrated into the group, and he’s a popular member of the squad who has bought into the project.”
Portsmouth looking for full use of Aouchiche before season finale
Aouchiche is a confident player, who when utilised in the right system can be an unstoppable force in the Championship.
A player who in his native France was regarded as one of the country’s brightest young talents at one stage, his career has looked a little uncertain – as has his established position on the field – but that nagging feeling remains that he could just provide some heroics and become something of a Pompey cult hero.
| Adil Aouchiche – Portsmouth/Sunderland/Sunderland U21 | Total |
| Appearances | 22 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Minutes played | 1,231 |
Aouchiche is likely to keep his place in Mousinho’s team for the visit of Derby to Fratton Park, but will likely move back across to a central attacking position with a starting return for Ritchie imminent.