"It's infuriating" - John Mousinho reveals what he showed Portsmouth players after Cardiff loss | OneFootball

Portsmouth are bottom of the Championship after a 2-0 loss to Cardiff City

John Mousinho has revealed what he showed the Portsmouth players in the aftermath of their 2-0 loss to Cardiff City on Tuesday night.

The Pompey boss has expressed his frustration after the defeat, with an own goal from Regan Poole and a Callum Robinson strike putting the hosts ahead by two goals within the opening 15 minutes.

Those two early goals proved enough for the Bluebirds, with the Hampshire outfit unable to mount a comeback in the remaining 75 minutes.

This was the team’s second loss in four games in the league, leaving Portsmouth inside the relegation zone after 11 games.

Mousinho’s side have won just once so far this season since making their return to the Championship for the first time since 2012.

John Mousinho’s Portsmouth frustration

Mousinho admitted his frustration at Portsmouth’s performance after the game, revealing he showed his players three clips back to them in the dressing room.

He claimed that the way they played required a more detailed post-match debrief than he’d usually give, highlighting his concerns with their current form.

“It was a poor performance overall and there were crucial moments in the game early on - and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb,” said Mousinho, via The News.

‘You can’t give teams a two-goal lead - and we did give them a two-goal lead - we completely switch off.

“It’s a side unrecognisable from the side we’ve seen at our best.

“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb and then Cardiff got their tails up, there could’ve been a couple more goals.

“You just can’t go about trying to win games like that.

“It’s infuriating and we showed three clips in the dressing room at full-time.

“The first one was us winning the ball back and rather than us spinning the ball back into the channel and making it hard for a side like Cardiff, who won 5-0 at the weekend and were coming into the game with confidence, we play backwards and give away a free-kick and invite pressure.

“We did the same against Stoke where we didn’t start the game well enough.

“We started the game flat-footed like we were still on the M4 and it’s too difficult to do that against players at this level.

“It’s worrying because the mentality the lads showed on Saturday to win - and they then start the game like that.

“I thought the way we approached the game looked a bit apologetic, to be honest.

“The corner (for the second goal) is a really good example of that.

“We have players who are capable of winning headers and players capable of organising and using their voices to make sure we’re on it.

“I’m not entirely sure why that’s the case (they’re not alert), but it’s something we have to find the solution to.

“We did spend a long time (in the dressing room), I don’t usually show things to the players.

“It’s usually a quick debrief - but I don’t think that performance warranted a quick debrief.”

Portsmouth league position

Portsmouth are now sat at the bottom of the Championship table after 11 games, with just eight points to their name.

Pompey finally earned their first win of the campaign last weekend, beating QPR 2-1 at Loftus Road.

But they remain in the relegation zone after Tuesday’s defeat, with the gap to safety currently two points, while having played a game more than 21st place Millwall.

Up next for Mousinho’s side is a home clash against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night in an 8pm kick-off.

Portsmouth can’t afford many more sloppy performances

Portsmouth are still within touching distance of safety, so there’s no need to panic just yet.

However, another few defeats like on Tuesday night and Portsmouth could find themselves in a really tricky position.

Mousinho deserves time to turn things around given he did so well to manage the club to the League One title last year, ending a 12-year wait to return to the Championship.