Sheffield United v Portsmouth: everything John Mousinho said ahead Championship game at Bramall Lane

There will be no resting on their laurels for the Portsmouth players as they look to build on their weekend win against Millwall when they travel to Championship rivals Sheffield United tonight.

Goals from Zak Swanson, Jordan Williams and an OG were enough to see off the Lions on Saturday afternoon and ensure John Mousinho’s men have a four-point gap to the relegation zone ahead of their long trip to Bramall Lane.

They will meet a Blades side that are high on confidence after they claimed a comprehensive win against local rivals Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday afternoon - but the work is far from over for Chris Wilder and his players as they currently sit in the second-tier drop zone ahead of their midweek meeting with Pompey.

The stakes are sure to be high once again as two sides sitting in the bottom seven of the Championship go head-to-head. And although it is too early to call this game a six-pointer, the winners will give themselves a platform to build upon as the season rapidly approaches what can be a pivotal festive period.

There were plenty of questions put to Pompey boss Mousinho in his pre-match press conference as his side prepared for their trip to south Yorkshire - and here is everything he had to say about the opposition, his own side’s confidence, striker Colby Bishop and a number of fitness issues within his ranks.

Everything John Mousinho said ahead of Sheffield United v Portsmouth

Was the training ground a happier place today after Saturday’s win?

Mousinho: “I think it’s about finding the right balance. It’s a really interesting one. We came back in off the back of the Hull game and there was an appropriate level of disappointment that you’d want around the training ground but also you don’t want people coming in and handing their heads and not being ready to train, not being ready to be very, very positive about the break and going into the Millwall game.

“By the time we got the Hull game out of our system, it was a bright atmosphere around training and the club and it was a really enjoyable place to be. We always have it at the back of our minds that we desperately need to improve results and we need to be properly determined about doing that. We needed to change something so it was about finding that right balance. We also didn’t want to skip back in here on Monday morning thinking we had cracked it, we have won one game. We aren’t in a position in the league that’s where we want to be and we’ve got a huge amount to improve upon. It’s a very long season so it’s nice to take all of the positives from the weekend and we are definitely going to do that - but at the same time we have a completely different challenge coming up. Not just on Wednesday but also for the rest of the season.”

Players already focused on Sheffield United?

Mousinho: “Yes, I think that’s the only way to be, particularly when you have that quick turnaround. The games come thick and fast in the Championship and there are no easy games, we have seen that over the past 16 months since we’ve been back at the level. We’ve seen that and Sheffield United is definitely not one of those easy games.

“I think they are one of the side at the level at the minute, certainly based on the evidence of the weekend, that are properly in form. There is a little bit of time to reflect on a Saturday evening and Sunday morning and maybe the players can have a little bit longer. I do want them to take the positives from the game, I want them to feel good about themselves, I want them to feel going going into Wednesday - but also realistic about the challenge.”

Are Sheffield United in a false position?

Mousinho: “Yes, definitely. They won’t be in the relegation reckoning come the end of the season. I’ll be very surprised if they don’t make a tilt for the play-offs. They’ve got the squad, they’ve got the manager and coaching staff and I’m a huge admirer and Chris (Wilder) and Alan (Knill) and everything they do there. That will stop on Wednesday night when we go into battle but I think it’s the same both ways.

“Nobody is under any illusions, they’ve had a really poor start to the season by their standards, particularly finishing third last year - but they are going to pick up points at some point and we have seen evidence of that already. But for us on Wednesday night, we are treating it as we always would going away to Sheffield United and it’s a very tough league fixture.”

Is Chris Wilder someone you’ve encountered much before?

Mousinho: “Yes, I played against Chris’ teams quite a few times through the years. We never actually managed to work together but I remember his Northampton team really well. Pretty much, wherever Chris has gone, he’s had a huge amount of success. With Oxford, with Sheffield United, with Northampton, a manager who through my short time as a young, English manager, he’s always there to offer a little bit of support and a wise word here and there.

“Obviously when we are coming up against each other on Wednesday night, it all goes out of the window - but yes, he is somebody that is a real bright spark for younger managers like myself.”

Any players back for the game?

Mousinho: “It’s just one of those things. We can pick 20 players for the squad and that’s all we can do. The big thing I point out to the lads is the Connor Shaughnessy example we had a couple of years ago when he left out of the first matchday squad and he came back in and started 45 games after that. Even more recently, I’ve got a better one or a more recent one for the boys. Márk Kosznovszky played against Birmingham, came out of the squad against Millwall, and found himself back in the starting eleven so it can happen very quickly. They’ve got to keep their heads down and doing the right things.”

Was Joe Bursik unfortunate at the weekend?

Mousinho: “Yes, extremely unlucky off the back of some really positive performances, kept us in a couple of games. I explained that to Joe, it wasn’t a decision based of the form he was in and what he’d done for us in terms of contributing since he has come into the side. Ben was a little bit unfortunate as well when he lost his place in the side. Ultimately, we made the decision to go with Nico based on what we had seen last year and this year and we rate Nico extremely highly. We rate the entire goalkeeping department extremely highly - but we wanted to bring Nico back in. We thought that he had enough sharpness, had the match sharpness and felt fit enough to go and do a job.”

Can the side get the best out of Colby Bishop?

Mousinho: “I think so. If you look at Colby in terms of his strengths, I thought we saw a lot of that at the weekend. He gave two very physical centre-halves a very difficult time. They’re both six foot four plus, extremely good in the air, extremely physical and he gave the pair of them a tough afternoon to be honest. I rate both of them extremely highly, I rate Colby extremely highly and what he has done for us as a football club. I thought that was a big part of his game, I thought his hold-up play was good, his general demeanour, his work-rate, the way he led the press. It thought it was a pretty complete performance apart from scoring the goal and putting the ball in the back of the net.

“Having said that, I don’t look at it and think Colby missed any chances. It’s another thing we are trying to work on with the way that we play and getting runners around Colby to create as much as we can for him. First of all, I am sure the goal will come. In the meantime, if we get performances like that, I don’t think it matters too much.”

Are you looking at the supply for Colby and the delivery he thrives on?

Mousinho: “Yes, we are always looking for our centre forward to score, particularly if we can get the ball wide and cross it but there are other methods and other ways we can score and we showed that at the weekend as well. That’s the most important thing, it’s the first time we have scored three goals in a game so we have increased the attacking output. We’ve probably looked likely to score in other games but we haven’t put the ball in the back of the net so we put everything together at the weekend. Ultimately, creating chances for the centre forward is something we will try and do.”

How is the group looking for selection with injuries?

Mousinho: “Yes, we will have the same squad to select from as we did at the weekend. We will just have to take a view on some of the players that haven’t played in a while, even the likes of Langy after his half an hour. Everybody has reported ok today but tomorrow will be the real acid test to see how bodies and legs are going into Wednesday.”

Who is next in line to return injury-wise?

Mousinho: “There will be nothing imminent. I think we have Franco and Harvey training with us but they are still long-term so the next batch of players coming back, we will see around Christmas. You might see Franco in six weeks’ time so don’t hold your breath on that one. Harvey will be three to four weeks. Connor Ogilive, Tom Waddingham, back end of January or February. Shaughs, back end of December. Jacob Farrell, I don’t know.”

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