Pompey 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday: John Mousinho's post-match verdict

The News, Portsmouth

Blues boss John Mousinho shares his thoughts on his side's Fratton Park defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday

Transcript

00:00John, obviously a disappointing result, but was that the reaction you wanted after Tuesday

00:04night first of all?

00:05I mean, it definitely was in terms of the way we started the game. It was a very, very

00:09even game, I think, for the first 45 minutes. We just edged it and I think deserved to come

00:14away with the lead at half-time. So, definitely from that point of view, we did a lot of things

00:20really, really well. The most disappointing thing, I think, is that we didn't quite follow

00:24up with that in the early parts of the second half.

00:27So, you did a lot of things really, really well, so just what?

00:30I just thought we looked a lot more solid than we did the other night, clearly. I thought

00:35we restricted Sheffield Wednesday to very few chances, to be honest. We didn't have

00:37a huge amount either, but it was quite a tight game, a tight game between two teams that

00:41were going after each other as well. We pressed really well, I thought we defended pretty

00:46well for the most part and came away with a deserved lead at half-time. So, yes, we

00:49did a lot of things really well. We did a lot of things really well in the second half

00:52as well, but a few moments we just weren't good enough.

00:55There was a lot of energy about you tonight as well, and that was pissed him off by Terry

00:58Devlin.

00:59Yes, it was great. Terry's performance was excellent, particularly considering it's

01:02his first Championship start and playing out of position as well. So, I'm really, really

01:05happy with Terry's contribution and he's going to kick on and go from strength to strength.

01:10He hasn't made the squad until recently. Injuries have given him that chance. How have you made

01:16him since he's come back into the side there?

01:18I mean, he got back into the squad not because of injuries, to be honest, because we had

01:22fit players to come in and be in the squad ahead of him on Saturday and on Tuesday. I

01:26think he came back into the side because he deserves to come back into the side on what

01:29he's done in training. And that's what, as we go about our business, we look at what

01:33players do every day in training and we pick teams off the back of it, we pick squads off

01:36the back of that. And I know not everybody can see that, but Terry always does that.

01:39He always gives us everything we need. And, yes, he's come in and he's done really well.

01:43It's just the performance I expected from him.

01:45I think most people here tonight would have named him on the match. Would you agree with that?

01:49Yes, I think that's fair.

01:50Obviously, having been in the lead one there and conceded one all, you were having a good

01:56spell and suddenly they got the winner there in your purple patch in the second half.

02:00Yes, the most disappointing thing about the second goal is where it came from.

02:04It came from us pressing Sheffield Wednesday high up the pitch.

02:06We had them pinned in the corner and we just switched off for half a moment.

02:09We let one of their players emerge the other side of us and they break out.

02:12And there's a difference between us having a corner, a throw, a promising attack in this

02:16half and obviously what culminated in the ball being in the back of the net.

02:20So, yes, really, really unhappy, I think, with that.

02:23And those are the bits we need to do a lot better.

02:25So, you're not serious that you couldn't have done anything about that finish because it was some finish?

02:29There's nothing you can do about the finish, no.

02:30The finish is a brilliant finish and we try and recover behind the ball.

02:33It's what happened further up the pitch that's the problem.

02:36You started the second half quite sluggish as well.

02:38Yes, I mean, my biggest takeaway to the lads in there was just look what happened at the start of the second half.

02:45We gobble the ball back to Jordan Archer, who can't manage to clear it properly.

02:49It's not his fault.

02:50It's just a really poor quality ball back to him and we're on the back foot after that.

02:53And those small moments in games where we don't start well enough.

02:57We did it on Tuesday night in the first half, but we just didn't start well enough.

03:00We didn't test Cardiff in behind and all of a sudden,

03:03Sheffield Wednesday built up a bit of pressure towards their home fans and we ended up conceding.

03:07So, that was a really disappointing part of the game.

03:09What can you take from tonight?

03:11A load of positives, I think.

03:13We're sitting here, I'm talking to you here, with very,

03:16very different emotions to what I felt on Tuesday night,

03:18where I was looking at a side that was unrecognisable in terms of what we want to see and what fans want to see,

03:24what we want to see as staff.

03:25Much, much closer to what Portsmouth should be like and certainly what I've had in my time here.

03:33So, really, really pleased with the effort, pleased with the endeavour.

03:38Just not quite good enough to get back into the game and small bits we need to be a lot better at.

03:45But I don't look at the game tonight and think we couldn't have won it.

03:48We definitely could have won it, but ultimately, we weren't good enough to do that.

03:50Obviously, you made the decision to drop Marlon Pack for the first time since he's come back to Pompey.

03:54What was the motivation for that?

03:57I thought everything needed freshening up from Tuesday night and Marlon took it really well,

04:04as I'd expect him to, a brilliant leader that we've had around the group.

04:07It was one of those where, having played those three games in a week as well,

04:11I thought we needed to freshen things up.

04:12We haven't won a huge amount of games either, so I don't think anyone's had any complaints about coming out the side.

04:16And, yes, that was the rationale behind that.

04:18Was that a big decision for you, dropping your captain?

04:20A massive decision, yes.

04:21I think it always is when you have someone who's played so well and played the amount of games he's played,

04:26lifted the League One trophy last season.

04:28Yes, a big decision.

04:29Obviously, the amount of games, his age, was it also down to his form as well?

04:32Did that come into it?

04:33I think everything, we always take the decision in the round.

04:36I said to Marlon, the three games of the week has definitely come into it,

04:40but I don't want to hide behind that because we haven't won enough games either.

04:43So, yes, we took everything into consideration.

04:46What next for him as well?

04:47What next for Marlon?

04:48Yes.

04:48He'll be back in training on Monday.

04:50Does he have to fight to get back in the team now?

04:54Oh, yes, everybody has to.

04:55Marlon has to fight to stay in the team, he has to fight to get back in the team.

04:58That's part of the problem with football is that we look at things in, I think, two black and white.

05:07Go and speak to a rugby club and players that are out of the side of the gate say,

05:15you're out of the side, it's fine, you need to get back in the side, you need to prove it.

05:18We've got a very different language in football.

05:20We talk about dropping players.

05:22It's just a part of the game, I think, it's a part of the game.

05:24Players are obviously disappointed, but I think, yes, we just need to not overreact.

05:28It's a team selection thing.

05:30Players can always get back into their sides, wherever they are, and they always get back into a side in the drop of a hat.

05:35Look at Terry Devlin, look at Connor Sharplessley last season, look at some of the contributions we've had.

05:40Jordan Archer hasn't been in the squad all year.

05:43These things change very, very quickly.

05:45There's nothing to panic about and nothing to read into at all.

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