Portsmouth FC have continued their Championship preparations this week with an intensive training camp in Slovakia, following John Mousinho’s approach from last summer’s Croatian retreat for concentrated squad development.
The Slovakian camp represents the latest phase of Pompey‘s pre-season schedule, which began with fitness assessments on the south coast, followed by training sessions at a London facility and work at their Copnor Road headquarters.
Mousinho expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress as they gear up for the forthcoming Championship season.
“There has been significant investment in our training facilities because we’re committed to maintaining our professional standards,” the Blues manager explained.
“It was satisfying to return to working on our pitches – which are in excellent condition – last week after spending time training elsewhere.
“Slovakia has provided another chance for the players to live, train and dine together without external distractions.
“These camps are consistently valuable and beneficial – pre-season is an extended period, so it’s refreshing to experience different surroundings.”
The manager emphasised the benefits of the overseas training environment: “In England, the focus was on fitness and players reacquainting themselves with ball work, but now we’ve been able to raise the intensity.
“We had several players who suffered lengthy injury layoffs last season, so witnessing their return provides tremendous encouragement.
“We’re content with our current squad size and there are people working diligently to enhance the team’s quality over the coming month.”
Mousinho has been impressed working with new signing Adrian Segečić, who joined from Sydney FC last month.
“We already have three Australian players here, so they’ve been instrumental in helping him integrate with the group,” he said.
“He’s an outstanding character with tremendous work ethic and is perfectly suited to English football and our playing philosophy.
“Adrian’s scoring record is self-evident and whilst he’s not a traditional striker, he finished as the A-League’s leading goalscorer.
“He finds the net in various ways and is extremely difficult to dispossess. His final product is quite remarkable.”
