John Mousinho's Portsmouth press conference for Cardiff City clash

The News, Portsmouth

Pompey boss John Mousinho previews Tuesday night's trip to Cardiff

Transcript

00:00First win of the season at the weekend, just how much extra energy has that given to the dressing room?

00:05I think we'll see tomorrow night but my hope will be that it gives the dressing room a little bit of a boost

00:11but I wanted to see the energy anyway going into the previous games and I thought we saw that.

00:15I thought we saw a lot of energy going into the Oxford game and the QPR game as well even though we hadn't won any games

00:20and that would be my expectation of the squad that no matter what sort of running results we're in

00:24they still bring energy, enthusiasm and a load of effort into every game.

00:29Just how hard did your side have to work to be able to see out the result and keep QPR at bay heading into the dire numbers of the game?

00:35Yeah I think that at any point in the game we've got to be at full throttle to win games of football at this level

00:41and I felt that towards the last 25 minutes, half an hour where QPR had a bit of the ball, we had a bit of pressure

00:46but there weren't a huge amount of chances. I think that we conceded there were a couple of half chances

00:51I think from set pieces and from crosses that came into the box

00:55but apart from that I was really pleased with the way that we actually did see the game out.

00:58I was probably a bit more frustrated with the way that we came out in the second half

01:01and it was a bit more like a basketball match going end to end

01:04and I think Ilias Cheah had another chance when he was through but Jordan Williams recovered really well

01:08and then after that for the most part I thought we defended really well.

01:11Freddie Potts getting his first Pompey goal, how much did he deserve that?

01:14Yeah I mean it's not something that he's been renowned for Freddie

01:17I think he scored two last season for Wickham but it's something that we can definitely build upon

01:21and if we can get more goal contributions from everywhere on the pitch then I think that's going to be a real positive

01:25and I think for Freddie to not just stand and admire Calum's work down the right wing

01:30and make sure that he was in off the back of the centre forwards to finish the ball at the edge of the box

01:35really, really pleasing because he's technically a very, very good player and he can get more goals.

01:39And how good did that feel to have Lang and Youngie back in the squad after being out for injuries?

01:43It's always great to have players back in and players available

01:46and it gives me a slight headache because we had to leave players out of the squad that travelled at the weekend

01:51but at the same token that's a much better position for us to be in as a football club

01:55so really, really positive that Calum got himself on the score sheet, got himself back into the side

02:01and also for Cass to get back on the pitch. It's been a stop-start season for him and we're looking to get him firing again.

02:07And game two or three in the space of six days up next, another one on the road too

02:11how has the quick turnaround had an effect, if at all, on preparing for South Wales?

02:15I think we're used to quick turnarounds and we've had it not a huge amount this season

02:20because we haven't had the cup games that we would have necessarily had last year

02:23but we've had that, the midweek league game which was the first time that we had it last time against Stoke

02:29a bit different, the circumstances were a bit different last time.

02:33We've got two away games now, this Saturday, Tuesday, we have to prepare for it as best as we can.

02:38We were in yesterday making sure we did the post-match debrief from QPR at the weekend

02:42and the focus over the last couple of days now has just been to be as physically ready as possible

02:47there's not a huge amount we can do on the training pitch and we've just got to learn to cope with that.

02:50Two teams in the bottom three but both with big wings at the weekend.

02:54Under the Lights, a big occasion for both sets of supporters but for you and your team

02:57is it just another game and another day at the office?

03:00Yes and no. I think that we have to acknowledge the importance of the game

03:11I think that's a good thing for us to do at this stage and I thought we did that really well

03:15we've done that really well over the past couple of league games

03:18and we didn't quite get the result, well we didn't get the result we wanted against Oxford

03:21but we felt the gravity of the situation and how big the game was

03:26and I think we played up to that and we did it again at the weekend

03:29and I think that is important for us to acknowledge.

03:31We are scrapping with some of these sides down at the bottom of the league at the moment

03:36and the only way to get ourselves up and out of it is to win these sort of games.

03:39We don't have to do anything different to what we do week to week

03:44but I think mentally it's good to really acknowledge that it's a game against a side that's near us on the table.

03:49And has your team come through with a clean bill of health for the weekend?

03:53Yes, a clean bill of health and we should have the same squad to select from that we did the weekend.

03:57Thank you very much.

03:58Obviously you and the team were back in on Sunday morning, any difference around the camp following that important win?

04:05Not really to be honest, I think there was probably a difference on the pass home on Saturday night

04:10but at the moment there was definitely a different feeling in the dressing room after the game.

04:14When we haven't been winning games it is very solemn and even when you pick up a couple of points away from home

04:21we've picked up but they've been to last minute goals so obviously the dressing room hasn't been quite as ecstatic

04:28as it may have been if we'd have equalised in the last minute or if we'd have held on for the points.

04:33So yes, the dressing room was a bit different but I think the professionalism of the lads is such that

04:38we came in yesterday and there's probably a slightly different feel about the place

04:42but the reality of football is that it lasts for a very short period of time

04:46and we've got a really big game to focus on tomorrow and we've got to get on with that.

04:50Because since you've been here you've consistently won matches until the step up

04:55so a lot of the side have been used to winning every week haven't they?

04:59Yes and it's been something that the team has had to adjust to and that's one of the unfortunate realities

05:05of the Championship is that we've come up against some really, really good opposition

05:09who have punished us when we've made mistakes and we haven't won enough games so far this season.

05:13We've had players that have been used to winning games and what we want them to do is get used to winning games again

05:18and not get used to losing games. I think it's a nasty habit to get into and we've got to get better at that.

05:24So what can Saturday now do for your season?

05:26Well it's one of those where I think if we go and build on it and if we get positive results

05:32for these games that we've got coming up this week, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday then

05:36and people will look back at that and go that was the real boost that Portsmouth needed

05:41to get themselves back on track and hopefully we use it as that.

05:44But ultimately the only important thing is the next game and we've got Cardiff coming up tomorrow night

05:48who are going to be a difficult opponent and we have to take that one in isolation and try and win the game.

05:53In terms of three games in six or seven days, how do you approach this match?

05:58Selection, injuries, fatigue?

06:01I think we just take it on an individual basis so there are some players that will be in a different position

06:06to others in terms of their ability to deal with three games in four days

06:09and I think we have to just take that into account, look at injury records,

06:13look at players coming back from injuries, look at the physical data from the weekend

06:17and then just take a view of how players come back in this morning as well

06:22and we'll take all those things into account when we're picking the team

06:25but I think we're not going to pick the team with one eye on Sheffield Wednesday,

06:29we're going to pick the team on making sure that we try and beat Cardiff

06:31and then we'll see where we are on Wednesday morning.

06:34Do you feel you've now got the squad numbers to be able to rotate it a bit?

06:38Yeah, I think so. We had 22 fit pros to select from at the weekend

06:45so that's a much healthier position to be in and there's going to be some difficult decisions

06:49and difficult conversations to have over the next few days

06:52provided we keep everybody fit and it's a much better position to be in.

06:55You've also got Reuben Paul and Tom McIntyre who have come back from injury recently

06:59and have played consistently well. Are they a concern to you playing three games in that period?

07:05They did it through the week where we played Sheffield United, Stoke and then Oxford

07:09so I think we always have to keep an eye on that and we have to make sure that we manage that as best we can

07:13but I do know they're capable of doing it and I think that's what the demands of the modern professional are anyway

07:18to make sure that you're able to play those three games in a week if you possibly can

07:21so at the moment I'm happy that they're able to do it.

07:24If you did want to change, is it back up to Reilly Towers?

07:26Yeah, so we've got Reilly who's started four Championship games this season and has done pretty well

07:32and probably can consider himself slightly unlucky to be out of the side

07:35and that's a decent back-up for us to have.

07:38Alex Robertson, can we hope against a player who did well here last year?

07:45Yeah, and that's one of those things. I suppose when we speak about everything at the back end of last year

07:51and a few bits in the summer, we can talk fondly about what Alex did for us last year

07:55but as we go into the game tomorrow, it's just business as usual.

07:58He's just another opponent and we have to make sure that we do our best to nullify all of his threats

08:03and at the same time try and expose anything that we can off the back of that

08:06and yeah, that's the way we have to deal with it.

08:09There's no sentiment in it tomorrow and we'll be trying to make it as difficult as possible for Alex and Cardiff.

08:14Rich, you said last month that as a club you put in a bid for him, you tried to sign him but were unable to.

08:20Was that disappointing?

08:21Yeah, any time we do try and sign a player if they don't sign for us that's disappointing,

08:24particularly with Alex who we knew what he was capable of and it's one of those things we weren't able to do

08:31and we have to dust ourselves off and go again and like I say, he's just another opponent for us tomorrow night.

08:37How good is he as a player would you say?

08:39I think that's something that we've been really open about in terms of his potential

08:45but that's down to Alex now to go and prove how good he is and how far he can take his career

08:51and for us that's something we'll maybe watch with a little bit of interest from afar

08:56but at the minute hopefully he has a poor week in terms of his progression to that.

09:02In terms of injury, is he fresh?

09:04No, not fully fit squad, same squad as the weekend's picked for him.

09:08Obviously Soumaira was concerned the weekend wasn't he?

09:10Yeah, just one of those decisions we made based on a couple of factors.

09:15First of all, Sammy had a lot of travel over the past couple of weeks.

09:18He hadn't been involved in the Australia squad so there wasn't a huge amount of physical input

09:24that he'd had over those couple of weeks and flew back in late in the week

09:29and we thought the type of game might suit different players.

09:33And Norris and Swansea?

09:34Yeah, same situation with the two of those.

09:36I suspect Zach should be fit for Friday and we'll probably back for the whole game.

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