‘High action, high intensity’: Portsmouth boss’ Championship run-in call as Blackburn Rovers, Derby County, Sheff Wed & Co lie in wait

But the Pompey boss told his team they have to be smart enough to adapt their approach when the situation demands, through what’s shaping up to be a dramatic second-tier run-in.

The Blues find themselves pulled back into the survival dogfight with eight games remaining, with their gap to the dropzone cut to four points as they return to action against Blackburn this weekend.

Pompey have given themselves a decent chance of survival through their improved form as the season has progressed, after a difficult start.

That has largely been based on Mousinho adapting his side’s approach to a more direct style of play, with high distances covered and a high-pressing approach employed.

Mousinho thinks that energy will now be a hallmark of Pompey’s play, with it now down to the business end of the season.

He said: ‘We want to press sides and press sides high up the pitch. We want to be aggressive.

‘We have to get the mixture right, but we don’t want to sit off sides. At times when we’ve sat off sides, they’ve been able to pick us apart.

‘So I think it’s about getting the right balance - but we certainly want to be aggressive and press high.

‘Plymouth was a game where we wanted to press high and set up to do that, but didn’t really have the opportunity because Plymouth didn’t really play.

‘That is the next part of our development, having the ability to break sides down.

‘As it stands at the moment, though, I think the last eight games are going to be high action and high intensity.

‘I don’t think sides will let us have the ball to the extent Plymouth did, it’s going to be very different.’

The data underlines Pompey’s high-pressing play this season, with passes per defensive action (PPDA) the metric which measures the intensity of a side’s press.

The fewer passes before an opponent is forced into a defensive action (such as a clearance) points to a more intense press - with only Swansea (9.56) and Leeds (9.41) lower than Pompey’s PPDA of 9.73.

Mousinho is pleased with his team’s approach, but also wants them to have the football savvy to know when to press and when to full back into shape.

He added: ‘Sometimes where we were successful last year and come unstuck this year, is we still want to be aggressive and play on the front foot .

‘Sometimes when sides miss out the press we’ve been exposed at times at the back, so it’s about getting the right balance.

‘That’s what we’ve tried to do a lot better as the season has gone on.

‘We’ve maintained that aggression and intensity at home, but solidified ourselves a bit defensively.

‘There’s always two parts to it. You can be the best side in the league at the press, but if sides miss out the press you can concede goals at the back end.

Derby County the example

‘A really good example would be Derby. We pressed Derby high on the night, Derby missed the press out and we didn’t deal with them at the back end and defend the box well enough.

‘But if that (high PPDA) is the bi-product of us winning games and getting results, great.

‘If not, if we have to sit in for games and concede a load of possession or don’t end up high up the pitch, fine.

‘That’s fine and we’re not bothered about that. As it stands, though, it’s the way we want to play and we’ve been pretty good as a pressing side.

‘That, we think, is the best way to win games at this level. Sometimes it’s happened, sometimes it hasn’t but we will continue to try to do that.’

YOUR NEXT POMPEY READ: Championship survival cause for concern - and a Blackburn Rovers prediction made by EFL experts