John Mousinho On Portsmouth draw with Norwich

The News, Portsmouth

Pompey boss John Mousinho's interview following goalless draw with Norwich

Transcript

00:00It was a highly intense game from first kick to last. You said that was a hard-fought point this evening.

00:05Yes, I think so. You don't get given anything at this level,

00:09you don't get given anything at any level, to be honest, but certainly not when you come up against a side like Norwich.

00:14So, yes, a really, really hard-fought point.

00:17I think we're delighted with the performance, slightly disappointed with the result.

00:21I think we probably edged it in terms of deserving to win the game.

00:25But, you know, one of those, if you can't win, don't lose and move on.

00:28And, yes, I think a really, really good clean sheet, good performance and we'll move on to Friday.

00:32Collectively, it looked like a really good display this evening.

00:35I was thrilled with it, to be honest.

00:36I thought it was just superb from start to finish and 97 minutes worth of real graft from the lads,

00:41especially off the back of what we produced at the weekend,

00:43which was a huge physical output against a really, really good Championship side.

00:45So, I know we need to expect that at this level and we need to come here at home

00:49particularly and make sure that we do that consistently.

00:52But, yes, to do it again back-to-back, I think is a sign of a side that's getting there.

00:57We're not quite there and the really good sides win back-to-back and put these games to bed.

01:01But, certainly, the sign of a side that's getting there.

01:04You mentioned disappointment in not getting the three points.

01:06Is that mainly down to not being more clinical in front of goal?

01:08I think so, yes. We had a couple of good opportunities in the second half

01:12when we got to the by-line and cut the ball back.

01:13I think Tom McIntyre and Paddy Lane both had chances.

01:16Colby had one flash across the box.

01:17We did have the ball in the back end at once, but I thought we'd seen it at goal.

01:20And my only disappointment, I think, in the first half is with all the pressure

01:23and all of the territory that we had in Norwich's half.

01:28We didn't get enough shots on target.

01:30That would be my big criticism.

01:31On the Conor Ogilvie disallowed goal, what was your perspective on it?

01:35I've seen it back, so it's easy for me to say,

01:37but Matt Ritchie's by the goalkeeper, Angus Gunn, puts two hands on Matt,

01:40pushes in, so it's either a penalty or a goal.

01:44And I can't see why it's been disallowed.

01:46I spoke to the ref about it.

01:49We had a good conversation and I thought the ref, to be fair, was very, very good.

01:53All night, a couple of big decisions.

01:54I thought that, obviously, I'm disagreeing with him in terms of not getting right.

01:58But one of those, we look back and we've seen,

02:01we've got the benefit of the replay and I thought it was a goal.

02:04Outside the relegation zone, because of results here,

02:06I know there's still games to take place tomorrow in this round of Championship matches,

02:09but psychologically, that must be a big boost.

02:11Yes, I think it is.

02:12I think the bigger boost psychologically is the performance and putting back-to-back performances together for me.

02:17Because I spoke to the lads there and said,

02:21hopefully, now, they realise that they belong at the level.

02:25And there's players that have adjusted and have had to adjust quickly.

02:27Players that have started a lot of games and have adjusted.

02:29Players that came in tonight and adjusted really well.

02:31The likes of Owen Moxham and Paddy Lane.

02:32So, we need to build upon that.

02:34We need to make sure that we don't take a breather and don't think,

02:36oh, that was nice.

02:37It's nice to take four points from a couple of games and we need to push on,

02:40keep going, keep going and make this,

02:44turn this run into something meaningful and keep climbing the table.

02:47A quick turnaround Derby on Friday?

02:49Yes, a really quick turnaround.

02:50Obviously, the same for both sides.

02:52In the Derby, we've had a couple of away games.

02:54We've had a couple of home games.

02:55It's going to be a really interesting clash between the two and I'm looking forward to it.

02:58John, thank you.

02:58Thanks very much.

02:59Do you feel either side did enough to win the game tonight?

03:04I thought we edged it, whether we did enough to win the game or not.

03:06I don't know, but I definitely thought we edged it.

03:08I thought that I can't really remember Nico being tested.

03:13Probably a deflection from his own player?

03:14Yes.

03:15I mean, having said that, I can't really remember Gunn being tested too much as well.

03:18But I think both teams got themselves into some really good areas

03:21and maybe both sides would be slightly disappointed not to test the goalkeeper a bit more.

03:25But it felt to me on balance that we just had a bit more.

03:27And, you know, we did have the ball in the back of the net.

03:30We had a good penalty shout.

03:31Didn't get them on the day.

03:32So, yes, I thought we edged it.

03:34From the first minute, you were on the front foot.

03:36You were very positive.

03:37The tempo was good.

03:39There was a lot to like about Pompey tonight.

03:41Yes, and I thought we followed on from Saturday really well.

03:44There's always a danger, I think, particularly when you're down at the bottom,

03:47like we are, that you don't follow good performances with good performances again.

03:51And I think the signs of really good sides.

03:54And I think I don't want to harp back to last year,

03:56but just as a frame of reference,

03:57a sign of a good side last year was going again and again and winning after winning.

04:01And we're not quite there yet, obviously.

04:04We're getting there.

04:04But to put in the performance, have another clean sheet, pick up another point,

04:08it just gives us the right building blocks to go again.

04:10There's one point in the league where you were a bit adrift at the bottom.

04:13Now you're currently out the relegation zone.

04:15Yes, and that's great.

04:17I think it's just reward for the way that the boys have gone about their business over the past few weeks.

04:21I think, to be honest, if I look back, it was after the Sheffield Wednesday game,

04:25we had the international break, we had two weeks to regroup.

04:28We had a really good two weeks worth of training going into the whole game.

04:30And I think apart from the second half against Swansea,

04:33I think we've been excellent in every single game we've played.

04:35And even against Swansea, they're a properly good side.

04:38So, a real positive to take from it.

04:40And the key now is to keep going with that and make sure we build upon it and come again Friday.

04:45Do you take any significance of the fact that you are now outside the relegation zone for just one night only?

04:50Not really, because who knows what's going to happen tomorrow night?

04:54And we've got games in hand on some teams.

04:57I think the bigger thing I'm taking from tonight is the performance.

05:00And that's, I think, what should boost everybody around the club a lot more than being out of the relegation zone.

05:05Ultimately, obviously, we need to be in this position and hopefully higher at the back end of the season.

05:09But the table is, when you're down there and you haven't played all the games,

05:16you're only a win away from jumping a few places.

05:19So, that's something we're not focused on.

05:21I think we've got to focus on the performance and getting the results.

05:24How's Rigan Paul?

05:25He's OK. He felt tightness in his hamstring.

05:27Same side that he'd had the hamstring graft this time last year when he did his ACL.

05:32So, the ACL needs to be reconstructed with hamstring tendon.

05:37And it was taken from the side that Rigan felt tonight.

05:40So, we need to be cautious with that.

05:42It was Rigan's highest output of the season on Saturday.

05:46And going again tonight, in terms of the way we want to press,

05:50we see a lot of the players at the front end of the pitch, I think, pressing and pressing high.

05:54What it takes for them to be able to do that is a huge amount of cover from the centre-halves, particularly.

05:58And the full-backs who have got to then release and go on to other full-backs and wingers.

06:02And Rigan's been doing that.

06:03Marlon's been doing that as well.

06:04And just one of those we wanted to take the sting out of it and make sure we didn't risk it.

06:09How is he going to be for Friday?

06:11I don't know.

06:12So, it's not a bad injury that will keep him out for a while.

06:15But probably touch and go at the moment.

06:1750-50 I'd rate him for Friday.

06:18There's a lot of precautionary to it as well.

06:20Yeah.

06:21There was the question, though.

06:23Can he read the monitor to go back out?

06:25Right.

06:26As he would always do.

06:28But with the advice we were taking and the way that he was stretching it,

06:32and the fact that we have two really good centre-halves on the bench,

06:34there was no way we were going to risk it.

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