'I don't think we're playing poorly': Portsmouth boss remains upbeat after more blanks in defeat to Derby
The Blues have scored in one of their last four home matches
John Mousinho reflected on a fourth successive Fratton Park defeat and insisted: ‘I don’t think we’re playing poorly’.
The Blues slipped to a 1-0 loss to high-flying Derby this evening, with Sam Szmodics’ eighth-minute strike the difference between the sides.
Despite dropping Colby Bishop, while Milli Alli and Gustavo Caballero switched wings, Pompey’s season-long weakness in the final third was once again evident as they failed to score.
It means the Blues have now scored just one in their last four home matches - losing every single one of them.
Mousinho told The News: ‘The performance on the whole was good, we are 90 per cent of the way there in terms of the way we are playing, in terms of the way we are dominating games.
‘My assessment of the game is we are relentlessly getting onto the back line and getting into some very, very good areas. At that point, the decision-making deserts us, the quality deserts us.
‘The cross comes into the box and we're not quite there or it ends up in the goalkeeper’s hands or we put it behind for a goal kick. We make poor decisions.
‘As we got more and more territory in the second half, we did too much of the same thing. We just didn’t threaten enough and the nature of how that is panning out is also quite frustrating.
‘That, ultimately has been the issue for large parts of the season as well. There have been other games when we’ve managed to turn games like tonight into wins, home as well as away, and that’s where we have been.
‘We are obviously short, we are 100 per cent short in terms of what we need to produce, but that is where it’s a real head scratcher because I also know they are good players who can produce that quality.
‘It’s a difficult one to properly break down and properly assess because I try to always be honest. I don’t think we are playing poorly, but we aren’t picking up results and we need to change that.’
Pompey are now one point above the relegation zone, although have a game in hand on their rivals.
Yet they continue to tread water while their rivals have closed the gap of late - while continuing to draw blanks.
The head coach added added: ‘There’s a concern in terms of results, in terms of what we are producing, particularly in the final third.
‘But I would be a lot more concerned if we weren’t in games, if we were getting blown away, if we weren't getting into the final third, if we weren’t having shots.
‘There were so many times last year we weren’t dominant, we weren't getting the ball into the final third, we weren’t doing the right things. But we are at the moment.’