Former Portsmouth defender Jason Cundy has warned his old club they must drastically improve defensively and secure fast starts if they harbour ambitions of Championship success next season.
The ex-Blues centre-back, who joined Portsmouth in 1999 during the Milan Mandaric era, believes his former side should target a top-half finish in their second Championship campaign.
However, the TalkSport pundit insists avoiding the catastrophic early-season form that plagued their return to the second tier must be paramount for John Mousinho’s squad.
Portsmouth endured a torrid start to their Championship comeback, managing just one point from their opening 15 fixtures before finding their rhythm in the latter stages of 2024.
Dramatic turnaround shows potential
The Fratton Park outfit’s fortunes transformed dramatically in the new year, securing nine victories and four draws from their final 21 matches – a run that would have yielded 67 points across a full season and playoff contention.
Cundy, who also represented Chelsea and Tottenham during his playing career, has monitored Portsmouth’s progress through his media commitments and delivered his verdict on their Championship prospects.
Defence key to progression
Speaking to BetUK, the 55-year-old emphasised the fundamental requirements for Championship advancement.
“If you want to succeed in the Championship to finish in the top half or challenge for the playoffs, you must get off to a fast start,” Cundy stated.
Mousinho ‘in perfect place’
“Last season, it just took Portsmouth a while to acclimatise to the league, which is ultimately why they didn’t finish higher in the table.
“However, in the second half of the season, they showed what kind of team they are and did really well after they got used to the competition and stabilised.”
The former defender highlighted defensive solidity as crucial for Portsmouth’s development under Mousinho.
“They need to be better defensively, and that’s how you start to build as a football team that wants to improve and succeed, it starts with keeping clean sheets and not conceding three or four goals every second game,” he added.
Portsmouth’s remarkable second-half recovery demonstrated their potential but also underlined how costly their sluggish start proved in terms of final league positioning.
