Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has been rightfully lauded during the course of the League One season.
He’s guided Portsmouth to the brink of the Championship, with his side nine points clear of third-place Bolton Wanderers.
It’s evident that the former Oxford United defender has what it takes to be a successful EFL manager. He’s eloquent, honest, and clearly has the tactical knowledge to win League One football matches.
Saturday’s vital win over Peterborough United saw the Pompey boss impact the game with a game-defining decision.
With 29 minutes remaining, Mousinho opted to hand Gavin Whyte an opportunity. It’s fair to say most of the 4000 travelling fans wouldn’t have followed suit.
The 28-year-old has started eleven games since moving to the club in the summer of 2023 and has failed to hit the back of the net. However, his composure and pinpoint pass to Kusini Yengi proved to be the critical moment in what was always going to be a tight affair.
For the Pompey boss, two substitutes combined to send the fans behind the goal into bedlem.
It often feels like Mousinho makes the right changes in games, but just how effective have his substitutions been?
How effective have John Mousinho’s Portsmouth substitutions really been?
Opta Analyst’s research has delved deeper into how impactful substitutions have been for all 92 clubs.
Naturally, the Fratton Faithful would assume Mousinho’s changes have made an impact after Yengi and Whyte’s combination on Saturday; Christian Saydee’s recent winner against Oxford also deserves a mention. Another example was Callum Lang’s introduction in the away fixture against the U’s.
However, truthfully, the 37-year-old probably hasn’t used his bench enough.
According to Opta, Portsmouth have made 137 changes during the league season, yet, only six goals have come directly from Mousinho’s changes.
Furthermore, the Blues’ subs have also managed six assists during the 2023/24 campaign.
The goals statistics are interesting. 50 per cent of the goals scored by substitutes have come in the last two months. Now that Mousinho’s attacking options are plentiful, looking to impact the game more often from the bench could be an option.
With tough-looking fixtures against Barnsley, Derby, and Bolton to come, fine margins will undoubtedly play a vital part.