'Systems are a bit of a red herring': Portsmouth boss' key tactical decision for tough Peterborough trip

John Mousinho is weighing up reverting to his trusted Pompey playing system for the tough trip to Peterborough.

The absence of any available left-backs forced the Blues head coach to operate with a back three against Burton on Tuesday night, resulting in a 2-1 triumph.

With Jack Sparkes now available following a gashed ankle, Mousinho is mulling over reintroducing the 4-2-3-1 formation which has established Pompey as long-time League One leaders.

However, having previously successfully employed a back three in wins at Fleetwood and now against Burton, he insists it remains a realistic option for Saturday’s London Road clash with the fifth-placed Posh.

Mousinho told The News: ‘Jack should be fine, that’s one we expect to have back for the weekend.

‘We didn’t have a left-back against Burton and not putting square pegs in round holes was definitely the right thing for us to do, so going to a back three seemed a natural switch

‘We’ve played the same system for the majority of the season, but I was really pleased with the way we set up and played on Tuesday night. It’s a definite option in terms of the performance and in terms of the personnel.

‘If we don’t have Jack back, that is something we can certainly turn to. I think it’s quite good having that flexibility, we haven’t done it a huge amount, but being able to switch between the two is a strength.

‘I thought the performance was really good, I was happy with how we were in and out of possession with one day’s prep on it. I know we also played that way against Fleetwood, so we had a bit of experience.

‘For me, systems are a bit of a red herring. With formations you can take a snapshot of the game at any point and players are in different positions. You can argue it’s a back three, you can argue it’s a back four, you can look at everything in between.

‘I just think good players will be a bit more flexible in terms of where they can fit in. We could select the same side, setting them up as a four, or a three, and they should be able to mould into each one.

‘We have won at Fleetwood that way, we won on Tuesday night that way, while we’ve changed in-game to a back three a couple of times. We’re getting a bit more comfortable with it.’

While Sparkes is anticipated to return for the trip to London Road, the picture isn’t as encouraging over Callum Lang.

The attacker’s ankle injury sustained at Blackpool could see him miss a second match this week.

Mousinho added: ‘We probably don’t expect to have Callum back for Peterborough. We are slightly less optimistic about him.’