John Mousinho raises "horrible" issue that Portsmouth FC need to fix fast | OneFootball

John Mousinho has questioned his Portsmouth FC players after they failed to pull away from the relegation zone.

Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has suggested his side drop their standards if they aren’t under ‘pressure’ in the league.

Having won promotion back to the Championship, survival was the aim of the game for Pompey this season, and it looked like they had secured their safety with a crucial win over leaders Leeds United last week.

However, Portsmouth have suffered successive defeats since, which included a disappointing loss at relegation rivals Plymouth Argyle.

Therefore, with the likes of Derby and Luton having improved, Pompey are back to looking over their shoulder, as they sit just four points above 22nd place.

John Mousinho highlights Portsmouth problem in relegation battle

And, speaking to the BBC, Mousinho explained that he is not happy with how his side have been unable to pull clear of the clutch of clubs at the bottom.

“We have this horrible habit of seemingly needing much more league table pressure (to perform). It's probably a reflection of the group - if you're a good team and you want to make it at this level you have to manufacture this yourself to make sure you play with the intensity like when we have had our backs to the wall.

“I can't live with what we did on Saturday, we switched off and did things that we explicitly told the players not to do. The next two weeks are going to be miserable and that's the way it should be. I'd love to be more positive about it but we have to be a bit harsher because the message just isn't sinking in.

“We're working incredibly hard but the message isn't sinking in for certain players - most of the players at Preston played very well for 87 minutes but if you want to do that then you find yourself back in League One as a player and us as a club.”

Portsmouth must find consistency if they are to secure Championship status

You can understand why Mousinho is frustrated, as Pompey have really lacked consistency this season, and the past three games are proof of that.

Whilst they rode their luck at times against Leeds, it was a fantastic team display, and it was proof they can get results against the best in the division.

But, they couldn’t back that up, and Mousinho was clearly very unhappy with the players in the past two games.

Ultimately, the responsibility for results lies with the manager, and he will no doubt use the international break to reflect on why the team seems to need the pressure to play at their highest level.

Fortunately, Portsmouth are still in a good position, and the four-point cushion is crucial at this stage of the season, but Mousinho will be driving home to the squad that they can’t afford to let complacency creep in if they are to stay in the league.