And the Blues’ head coach is willing to once again throw Terry Devlin into a number 10 role should the need arise.
The versatile Irishman was introduced in the 54th minute for Adil Aouchiche, who continues to search for his form since arriving on loan from Sunderland.
Handing Devlin the Frenchman’s number 10 role, Mousinho banked on the 21-year-old’s energy and physicality to push the Blues’ press higher up the pitch.
And, according to Pompey’s boss, it worked a treat as his side secured a 1-0 win.
He told The News: ‘Tactical switches worked a lot last season, a couple this season haven’t worked.
‘Naturally, when you are down at the bottom, some of them don’t work. We try to read the game and get as many right as possible.
‘Terry has played as a 10 for us a few times and I thought Adil was tiring as the game went on. We probably needed that energy in there and Terry gives us that physicality as well – and he was excellent when he came on.
‘He’s played pretty much everywhere this season, it’s not a position he is unfamiliar with. Off the top of my head, he has played right-back, right-wing, left-wing, as a 10, and as a six against Millwall in the Carabao Cup. To have that as such a young lad is a brilliant thing.
‘Previously he’s been a number 10 at Reading (October 2023), when he scored, and also Chesterfield and Charton last season in that little spell.
‘Adil is more of a technical 10, but Terry is a different physical profile. He’s a bit more of a runner, a bit more physical – and we just felt the game needed that.
‘It shows why we’ve kept him this season rather than loaning him out because he has improved a huge amount, he’s got that versatility to play in multiple different positions.’
Devlin’s latest first-team role was recognised with a rendition of ‘He plays where he wants’ from the Fratton End following his introduction.
Then, in the 89th minute, he dropped to right-back when Zak Swanson was taken off and Kusini Yengi introduced into the attack alongside Colby Bishop.
Bishop, of course, grabbed the winner in the 61st minute, with a smart first-time finish from Connor Ogilvie’s ball down the left channel to send Fratton Park wild.
He added: ‘Adil took a whack on the top of his foot, he was icing it, but I don’t know apart from that.
‘I thought he was tiring a bit, then he took that whack and was limping a bit, so I thought it was the right thing to bring him off.’
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