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A brand new campaign for Pompey held so much promise and hope after a disappointing season last year, but it hasn’t exactly got off to a great start.
Despite enjoying wins in their opening three league games, the south coast side have experienced a recent slump in form and now find themselves in 11th place in League One. They are also out of the Carabao Cup courtesy of a 2-1 loss away at Millwall.
Danny and Nicky Cowley have only been at the club since March, after the sacking of Kenny Jackett, and have now had the summer transfer window to help build a squad that could challenge for promotion this season.
However, fans are yet to see any clear indication that Championship football will be on the agenda at Fratton Park next season, but why exactly?
Struggles in front of goal
From the outside looking in, you could certainly argue that Portsmouth are not scoring enough goals.
Despite only failing to net in three games all season, their attackers have been unable to convert key chances that could have significantly affected the outcome of their games. John Marquis and Marcus Harness have three goals apiece so far this campaign, as well as left-back Lee Brown.
Marquis has now entered his third season at Pompey and still remains as their main man leading the line. However, he is yet to discover the fantastic form he had during his time at Doncaster Rovers, a key factor that helped generate a lot of interest in his signature during the 2019 summer transfer window.
His final season at Rovers saw him score 21 league goals in 44 appearances, almost a goal every two games. Meanwhile, at Portsmouth, his first season saw him score just eight and his second 16, a much-needed improvement.
During the current campaign, his shot accuracy is the second-highest in the squad with 62% but his overall goal conversion rate is just 23%. Fellow striker Ellis Harrison, who arrived at the club in the same window as Marquis, has only played 107 minutes of league football this season, and Leicester City loanee George Hirst has failed to make any real impact since joining.
Defensive worries
Along with the club’s overall strong start to the season, the Pompey defence were able to keep clean sheets in all four of their opening league games.
Since then, however, 10 goals have been conceded, with Charlton’s late winner the other week proving that there are still some cracks in the backline, particularly when Pompey are unable to hold onto three points.
The club acquired a number of new signings during the summer transfer window. Despite defensive frailties, Manchester City loanee Gavin Bazunu has been one of the squad’s most impressive performers all season and he has subsequently been awarded call-ups to the Republic of Ireland National Team.
Clark Robertson was brought into the team to play alongside Sean Raggett with Connor Ogilvie, Kieron Freeman and Mahlon Romeo all signed up to bolster the full-back positions.
With so many new faces coming into the club, the Cowleys appear to be unsure as to how to accommodate their players’ strengths. Some games have seen a standard four at the back, whereas others have witnessed attempts to use five in defence.
A balance will soon need to be found with recent 2-2 draws showing that despite the efforts up front, the defence has let the side down.
Unfortunately for Pompey, their recent 4-0 battering of promotion favourites Sunderland has come just before the new international break, so any sort of momentum that may have been generated at another time of the season has been lost.
Fans will be hoping that the Cowleys will soon be able to figure out what to do and continue a push towards promotion to the Championship.
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