John Mousinho must drop Colby Bishop as Leif Davis makes honest claim ahead of Ipswich vs Portsmouth
Colby Bishop is one of Portsmouth’s most important players.
The striker has been crucial to Pompey’s rise into the Championship and ensuring they stay in the second tier.
While Bishop may be out-of-form at present for Portsmouth, there is no doubt that he will find the back of the net soon.
However, with John Mousinho’s side set to travel to Portman Road on Saturday, it may prove to be a big ask for the striker to score against Ipswich.
Leif Davis: Ipswich know how to stop Colby Bishop
Mousinho already faces a tough test on Saturday.
Ipswich go into the match as favourites, with Portsmouth struggling to score.
Now, the visitors’ task may have just got harder after what Leif Davis admitted to TWTD on 26 September regarding Bishop.
He said: “Obviously we’ve been working on it all week. We’ve played against Colby [Bishop] a few times, we know what his strengths are and we know what we can do to try and take that away from him, but it’s not going to be easy to do that.
“Going the other way, it’s exactly the same for us. It’s not going to be easy for them stopping us as well. We’ve just got to do it out on the pitch on Saturday and see where it takes us.
“It’s been a good week of training and the boys are ready to go again tomorrow. It’s a game that we’re looking forward to as well getting back at home, everyone loves playing at home. But it’s been a good week, all the boys have worked hard this week and we’re looking forward to it.”
- Bishop has only found the net once this season
- The striker has missed multiple great opportunities
- Now, Bishop faces a massive task if he is to end his drought against Ipswich on the weekend
As a result, Mousinho may be wise to drop Bishop on the weekend. The striker is already off form, and this now seems unlikely to change on the weekend.
Considering that Ipswich have clearly worked on how to combat the attacker, the Pompey manager should look to tinker with his lineup.
Playing someone like Makenzie Kirk would likely surprise Kieran McKenna, with little work likely done on how to combat the new striker.
On top of this, this would help keep Bishop fresh for the Watford game in the week, with Portsmouth standing a far bigger chance of getting a victory.
John Mousinho should not take gambles in Ipswich vs Portsmouth
Going into the tie, Portsmouth have plenty of players out with injuries.
One such is Josh Murphy, who is in contention to play minutes during the game if he is given the all-clear.
However, Mousinho should prioritise the match against Watford next week and not take any risks with his squad.
Even if Portsmouth play well on Saturday, they may still lose. However, if they do the same against the Hornets, they should pick up three points.
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