John Mousinho has issued a stark warning to his Portsmouth players to “wake up” after set-piece defending contributed to their 3-0 loss at Sheffield United on Wednesday evening.
The Blues manager watched his side concede all three goals from defensive lapses, with set-pieces proving particularly costly as Pompey’s gap above the relegation zone shrunk to just two points.
Speaking on the Sheffield United defeat, Mousinho expressed frustration at missed opportunities in the final third alongside defensive frailties that have become a recurring concern.
Portsmouth appeared comfortable at Bramall Lane during the opening 40 minutes, with goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid barely tested from open play. However, set-piece defending undid the visitors’ disciplined performance.
Japhet Tanganga found himself unmarked to meet a corner just before half-time. Terry Devlin’s subsequent handball on the line resulted in a red card and Sydie Peck’s converted penalty. Tanganga then contributed to Patrick Bamford’s second-half goal from another set-piece before Gustavo Hamer sealed the victory.
Mousinho outlined his concerns about both attacking execution and defensive organisation following the defeat.
“We had a game-plan out of possession and executed that very well, limiting Sheffield United to very little,” the manager explained. “My big issue was that we had so many opportunities in the final third to show more quality, but didn’t deliver.
“Set-pieces is obviously something we’re concerned about because we lose the first contact and haven’t marked aggressively enough.”
The Pompey boss highlighted a crucial moment when possession was squandered in the attacking third, leading to the opening goal. “The red card came when we had the ball in the final third, only to deliver a pointless cross to the keeper, who launched a counter-attack. We conceded a corner and the game changed.”
Mousinho emphasised that personnel changes won’t be possible until January, placing responsibility firmly on current squad members.
“I can take it if we’ve left a spare man – we’ll hold our hands up. But I can assure you that Tanganga was supposed to be picked up,” he stated. “It’s a huge issue for us and we can’t change personnel until January, so those players on the pitch have to wake up.
“There were 40 minutes where I can’t remember us conceding a chance from open play and Nico didn’t have a save to make, but from set-pieces we look vulnerable. The players have to dig in and decide to be considerably better – and far more aggressive – when defending.”
