Portsmouth boss John Mousinho lifts lid on key south-coast derby approach in bid to beat Southampton
There is less than 24 hours to go until Pompey renew their rivalry with Southampton.
John Mousinho believes Pompey have the ability to rise to the occasion when they face Southampton on Sunday.
And the head coach has made it clear pre-match preparations have remained normal ahead of arguably the Blues’ biggest fixture of the season.
During that time, his side have been involved in a number of high-profile contests - including the League One title triumph against Barnsley as well last season’s 1-0 win against eventual Championship champions Leeds United.
While Mousinho is well-aware of the significance of Sunday’s derby, the head coach is adamant his troops have proven during his time at Fratton Park that they can step up to the mark.
John Mousinho on Pompey’s approach against Southampton
He told The News: ‘It’s about making sure that we approach it like any other game but we also know it’s not. There’s definitely something there.
‘I’ve been involved in plenty of those types of games, nothing as quite as significant as this in terms of a rivalry. I was never fortunate enough to play in a big enough rivalry in my career and nothing would get anywhere near this.
‘I haven’t necessarily had that but I’ve had those games where you’ve got to prepare as if it’s any other game but you know it’s not so you have to be slightly different with the way you approach it with your language and maybe just give the players a bit of insight into what it might be like on the day.
‘You’ve had a couple of those games here so far, obviously the game against Barnsley was one and there were a couple of games last year which felt like must wins and huge occasions for the football club.
They aren’t quite as significant as this but that’s definitely something we need to get the right balance between the two.
‘It depends what player it is really. Some players you want to be operating right on the edge and they’re extremely good when they’re hyped and aggressive. Other players are better when they’re not necessarily in that state.
‘We’ll try and keep an eye on that but ultimately the players these days are very professional and they know themselves inside out and there will be a big emphasis on all staff to make sure we are on top of ourselves and you do take care of the players.
‘Ultimately, you are never really until the first ball is kicked and someone goes in and puts a bad tackle in or the other way round then you think is going to be our day. Sport, football in particular, is about getting that right balance.’
How Pompey close gap to top Championship teams
And Mousinho believes his side are in a much better place in order to close the gap to the top teams in the league - starting against Southampton.
‘With have to (adapt) given the number of teams we face. The plan here as a football club over the long term is that every year we’re in the Championship, hopefully we can bridge that gap a little bit more and last season staying in the league it’s given us more financial clarity in the summer.
‘It’s enabled us to spend a bit more, able to increase the budget and we have to try and keep going on that year on year and keep building.
‘First of all we will hopefully close that gap with some of those midtable sides and then eventually with some of the top sides in the league.
‘It’s something we all know as a football club, you’re not all of a sudden going to get into the Championship and blow everyone away and be a football club we’ve never talked about being ever since I’ve been here and definitely since the owners have been here.
‘There are different ways to do that. We have to approach every single game with that mindset where none of that actually matters and none of that is relevant to us as a team.
‘None of that is relevant to us when you step onto the grass, it’s a game of football and we have to try and win it.’