It’s not a luxury he’s had much luck with so far this season, with new signings Josh Murphy and Jacob Farrell among a handful of players to have missed all four games of the Blues’ Championship season to date.
Star striker Colby Bishop has also been absent after undergoing heart surgery last month. Meanwhile, the ever-reliable Conor Shaughnessy was forced to sit out the most recent fixtures against Middlesbrough and Sunderland due to ‘illness’.
The international break should help the Blues get some of their walking wounded back in time for the visit of West Brom on Sunday, September 15. It should also help Pompey intergrate further many of their 15 summer recruits into the group, with six arriving during the final two weeks of the transfer window.
On paper, Pompey are well stocked in all areas, once everyone if fit and available for selection. Mousinho will be relishing the opportunity to pick what he considers his best XI and bench, with many within the squad set to be disappointed when that team-sheet is submitted.
Until then, we can speculate what that starting XI and bench looks like. However, there is another way to judge what he might do if everyone was match-ready - by the players’ so-called market values.
Websites like transfermarkt.com are good at giving fans an insight into the valuation of players. It can never be considered wholly accurate. Nor would the Blues ever pick a side based on players; price tags. But just for a bit of fun, here’s what Pompey’s starting XI and match-day substitutes options would be based purely on their player valuations.
1. Pompey boss John Mousinho has plenty of options at his disposal after a transfer window that saw 15 new recruits arrive at Fratton Park
Pompey boss John Mousinho has plenty of options at his disposal after a transfer window that saw 15 new recruits arrive at Fratton Park | Getty Images
