Blackpool show Liverpool how to deal with an injury crisis: Matt Scrafton's verdict on three big points against Portsmouth

Neil Critchley, who made the move to Bloomfield Road after seven years working on Merseyside, wanted to replicate Jurgen Klopp’s “heavy metal”, high pressing, high intensity football in the third tier.

Despite the bright shoots of pre-season, it’s fair to say that approach – despite how well-intentioned it was – and the 4-3-3 system that came with it didn’t exactly last long.

Nevertheless, we now find ourselves in the bizarre situation where Liverpool could learn a thing or two from the Seasiders.

Instead of whingeing about injuries and key players being absent, they’ve simply got on with things and made no excuses.

There have been times in 2021 where the Seasiders have been utterly depleted, missing as many as nine or 10 players. But not once have they complained.

Marvin Ekpiteta, Blackpool’s only ever-present up until Saturday’s encounter at Fratton Park, is the latest player to be sidelined.

In the treatment room, he's joined by Daniel Gretarsson, Keshi Anderson, CJ Hamilton and Gary Madine, who all continue to miss out through injury.

Anderson scored the winner in the original fixture between these two sides, ably assisted by Hamilton who, up until injuring his hamstring in December, was arguably Blackpool’s standout performer this season.

As for Madine, it was his arrival in the team and partnership with Saturday’s matchwinner Jerry Yates that coincided with Blackpool’s turnaround in form earlier in the campaign.

It’s no exaggeration to say all five would be starting if they were fit, but they’re not and there’s no good bleating on about it.

Instead, Critchley has handed opportunities to others and found a way to grind out three points without them.

There’s no better evidence of that than this latest win, Blackpool’s fourth from their last five games, where Critchley’s men were rewarded for their disciplined organisation and shape with three hard-earned points thanks to Yates’ winner eight minutes from time.

Kenny Jackett’s side started the day in fourth place, just four points adrift of the automatic promotion places. But Blackpool made them look ordinary.

Pompey, who were frustrated by Blackpool’s two banks of four from start to finish, failed to muster a single shot on target all afternoon.

The only time Portsmouth threatened was from set-pieces, but aside from a first-half free-kick from Ronan Curtis that caused havoc inside the Pool box, with the excellent James Husband eventually clearing off the line, the hosts failed to create any clear-cut chances of note.

While neither side could have complained too much had this one ended goalless, Blackpool could sense the three points were there for the taking. If only they could produce one moment of quality...

That’s exactly what happened when Yates was set free, twisting and turning past the hapless Sean Raggett before picking out the bottom corner with aplomb for his 11th goal of the campaign.

In repeating December’s 1-0 win at Bloomfield Road, the Seasiders claimed a piece of history – completing their first league double over Pompey since the 1969/70 season. Blackpool have now also won on their last three visits to Fratton Park.

We shouldn’t be too surprised by Blackpool’s defensive solidity, it’s something they’ve excelled at for the majority of the campaign.

The Seasiders have only conceded 26 goals from their 26 league games, which is only one more than second-placed Peterborough United and one fewer than third-placed Hull City.

At the other end of the field, and Critchley knows this, he admits it himself, Blackpool are still lacking a cutting edge. But all good sides are built on solid foundations and, if you continue to keep clean sheets, as Pool have done in four of their last five outings, you’re always giving yourselves a chance.

The gap to the play-offs is just seven points, with Blackpool still having two games in hand to play. With five of their next seven games coming on home turf, where they’ve won eight of their last nine while remaining unbeaten since October, there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t haul themselves into the play-off mix.

In a strange way, what has been most pleasing about Blackpool’s recent form has been the ugly nature of their wins.

In battling to two scrappy 1-0s against Rochdale and Portsmouth, the Seasiders have learned you’re not always going to be at your best at this level, especially when you’re playing Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday as Blackpool will be doing for the foreseeable future.

Winning ugly is a habit, one that is absolutely vital for sides that hold serious ambitions of finishing in and amongst it come May.

Critchley has talked up Blackpool’s squad depth all season but it’s only now, where players are beginning to drop left, right and centre across all divisions, not just in League One, where we’re now beginning to see it come to fruition.

Despite being without Ekpiteta and Gretarsson, Pool can still rely on Husband and Dan Ballard to do more than an adequate job at centre-back. Jordan Thorniley, meanwhile, can find himself unfortunate to be dropped down to the bench despite a shaky first-half performance against Rochdale last week. That aside, Thorniley has done little wrong since coming into the team.

Elsewhere, the likes of Ollie Turton, Matty Virtue, Ethan Robson, Grant Ward, Elliot Embleton and Bez Lubala are all waiting in the wings and will inevitably get their chance at some point between now and the end of the season given Blackpool’s hectic schedule, which means they’re still playing catch-up with the rest of the division.

But watch out League One, Pool are on the charge.

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