Pompey's problems with defending set-pieces
John Swift was a consistent starter for Pompey after his arrival from West Brom , but it’s now one start in six for the former Chelsea man. John Mousinho discusses his situation, as he finds playing minutes hard to come by at PO4.
John Swift still has a ‘big part’ to play for Pompey going forward this season as he struggles for first-team minutes.
And John Mousinho highlighted the Blues’ hunt for the ‘right formula’ this term, has contributed to the lack of playing time for the Gosport lad of late.
One start in six games for West Brom arrival
The ensuing outings against Millwall and Sheffield United on Wednesday have seen the 30-year-old named on the bench, but fail to enter the fray on either occasion.
That follows on from the former Chelsea man’s season gaining impetus last month, as he bagged his first Pompey first goal at Leicester amid a series of decent showings.
There was a move away from the 4-2-3-1 formation broadly employed by the head coach through his Fratton rein, with a switch to a 3-4-2-1 approach used at Hull City and against Wrexham.
Conor Chaplin and Josh Murphy were employed as narrow attacking options behind Colby Bishop on those occasions, before a return to the system Pompey know best harvested victory against Millwall last weekend.
Swift started the season as part of the Blues’ double midfield pivot where he was a consistent presence for seven consecutive games, before dropping to the bench at Ipswich Town
Swift has ‘big part to play’ for Pompey
The Pompey boss sees the free transfer capture as someone who will be important to his side moving forward, with the majority of the season still be played.
Mousinho said: ‘It’s still the same for Swifty, the same as everyone really.
‘He’s still competing for a spot. It’s something we’ve looked to tweak and play around with and we’re just trying to find the right formula.
‘It’s still a small sample size for this season. There’s no issue there, whatsoever.
‘He’s definitely still got a really big part to play for us going forward.’
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