John Mousinho previews Pompey encounter with Leeds
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00:00John, obviously, the Champions League season started at Leeds a long time ago. What do
00:06you remember about that fantastic match?
00:08Yeah, it was a brilliant game of football, I think, for the neutral. I remember the entire
00:14football club probably being blown away in the first 10 minutes by the quality on display
00:18and we started the game really poorly as well. So, I remember the best thing, a feeling at
00:22the time, the best thing that could have happened to us was conceding that goal because we calmed
00:25down and we settled into the game after that. I got back into the game, went in at half-time
00:292-1 up and I thought that's at least instilled a bit of belief in the boys because they realised
00:34that the level is good. Leeds are a very, very good side but not completely unbeatable.
00:39And yeah, we conceded at a really poor time just after half-time, managed to hang on in
00:44there and it was mixed emotions at the end of the game because we should have won the
00:47game going into extra time or going into injury time 3-2 up. We definitely should have won
00:52the game but at the same time, we then could have lost it because Leeds had a really good
00:55chance at 3-3 as well. And then on the balance of the game overall, we definitely got away
00:59with one but it was an interesting introduction to the Championship.
01:03Do you look back and think how handy those extra two points would have been at this time
01:06of the season?
01:07Yeah, definitely. We've had a couple of those. We've had that at Leeds, we've had that at
01:11Middlesbrough and we had that to a certain extent at Burnley and that's what happens.
01:17Those points are always ones we think that would have been really useful. I just don't
01:20think on the day, especially against Leeds and Middlesbrough, we deserve to actually
01:24take all three points. So, we can absolutely live with that. I think there have been other
01:27games that have been a bit more frustrating where we did deserve to take more points.
01:30So, yeah, those games, I don't particularly really miss chances there.
01:34Obviously, you face Leeds now, who are top of the league. What do you make about them
01:37as a team?
01:39They're the best team in the league. I think everybody's in agreement there and they've
01:42had a fantastic season. I think particularly bouncing back from the disappointment of the
01:47play-offs final defeat last year and losing a couple of their key players. It's been a
01:51very, very impressive season. They've gone from strength to strength and, yeah, I think
01:55they've only lost three games all year. So, a really, really good side, full of good players,
01:58a very, very good system and well-coached and that obviously makes for a potent combination
02:02at the top of the league.
02:04So, how do you handle the best team in the league in Troughton Park?
02:06I think we have to try and unsettle them as much as possible. I think that's the most
02:09important thing and as good as Leeds have been, we have to try and find some of the
02:14weaknesses. They haven't got many, but they've definitely got some and what we have to do
02:18is try and make it as difficult for them as possible to get into their game when they're
02:21coming and playing away from home. We have done that with some success this season with
02:26some of the big sides at the level and we've got to do the same. We've got to do the same
02:29on Sunday and I think that's something we've been pretty good at. We've got to do that
02:34in possession and out of possession and, yeah, just do as best as possible to try and get
02:38something out of the game.
02:39You've not got many choices at centre-half at the moment. Obviously, Regan does play
02:43when he's fit. You then have to choose between Marlon and Riley Towler. What's the process
02:48of deciding between the pair of them? Which one starts?
02:52Yeah, we do it with every position. There's no set process. Sometimes it's on a bit of
02:59a feel in terms of what you think can be best for the game. So we look at training, we look
03:03at the contribution the players have had to previous games. Yeah, sometimes we just think
03:08certain games are going to suit certain players and that's the way that we do that. So when
03:11we are selecting at centre-half, we've obviously had the selection issues over the past few
03:19weeks with the injuries that we've had. We've brought new players into the side. We take
03:23a lot of factors into consideration and come up with what we think is the best decision.
03:29Why did Marlon start ahead of Riley on Saturday at Luton?
03:33Marlon's played plenty of football there at centre-back. We've had a lot of success with
03:36Marlon back there as well. We looked at the games that Marlon and Regan have played together.
03:41The four previous games Marlon and Regan played together were Preston, Swansea, Bristol City
03:46and Norwich. We'd actually gone unbeaten in those four. We'd won two of them. Regan then
03:50came out the side after Norwich, so we actually thought that would be a good centre-half
03:53partnership.
03:55What have you made of Riley this season? Because he started at Leeds in the first game, didn't he?
03:58Yeah, I think Riley's probably surpassed expectations this season in terms of his
04:03contribution to the team in the Championship. Riley's been a big part of it as well. You look
04:09at some of the games that Riley played, particularly around Christmas time and into
04:14January, and was a big part of the better performances against Watford, wins against
04:19Swansea, wins against Coventry. A decent enough performance up at Sunderland. I think Riley's
04:24more than contributed this season.
04:25What does Marlon give you that Riley doesn't then?
04:28Probably just a bit more experience. It's very, very different when you've played that
04:31amount of games at that age. You've got that experience held on your shoulder sometimes
04:35against some of these bigger and better sides. I think that's what Marlon gives you. It's a
04:39different profile in terms of centre-half on the ball as well. There's big differences
04:45between the two of them. Like you say, we just try and take everything in the round
04:49when we're making that selection decision.
04:51What does Riley have to do to get back into the side, would you say?
04:54He's just got to keep going, keep training hard, keep training as well as he possibly
04:57can and just be ready for the chance. He's done that really well this season. He started
05:00the season, he came out the side, he kept himself going and he got back in the side,
05:03so he's got to do that again.
05:06You guys at Luton last week, it's not all from what we've seen in the last few months
05:09really. Can you put your finger on why that was?
05:12It was a strange one, I thought, in terms of the way that we started the game and how
05:16lacklustre we were in the first half. I think there's probably a multitude of factors. It's
05:21easy, I think, to sometimes sit there as a coach and think that a bit of complacency
05:25has crept into the group. I'm not saying that was the case, but sometimes that's the way
05:28it felt in the first half, because we're a shadow of what we've been over the past
05:31few weeks. We have to be better than that. We have to make sure that we start games a
05:36lot brighter than we did. It was one of those days where not much went for us in front of
05:40goal and we should have just come away from Kenilworth Road with a point and gone, look,
05:44we haven't fired in front of goal, but we've been at it defensively. We haven't conceded
05:48anything in a stupid manner, but unfortunately we didn't.
05:52It was a terrible game overall as well, let's not forget.
05:54Yeah, it wasn't a great game of football. This is happening quite a lot up and down
05:59the country with pitches at the moment. Pitches are incredibly heavy, not a huge amount of
06:02grass. Hopefully the weather turning will improve that, but it was one of those days
06:06where I don't think the pitch helped. I don't think the state of probably both clubs and
06:11where they are in the league and the nervousness that was probably on display with a lot of
06:14the football didn't help. My only disappointment is I think we should have been the side with
06:19a bit more confidence going into it and we should have tried to get the ball down and
06:22play a bit more.
06:23In terms of injuries, any news on anyone?
06:26Nothing, no. No new injuries on the weekend.
06:28So Jordan Williams, is he most likely to return soon?
06:31Yeah, he'll be back really soon. I don't think he'll be available for any of the games
06:35next week, but he'll be available for Blackburn.
06:38That will give you a good option to get it right back. You've got a lot of choices.
06:41Yeah, a nice boost going into the last eight games of the season. As many players as we
06:44can get back, the better.
06:47And Waddingham as well is another one that had a knock. How is he?
06:49Tom should be fit for the weekend. If not, he'll be fit for Plymouth.
06:53And what's his injury?
06:54Just a little groin strain.
06:55And then you've got the longer term ones like Conor Shotlessy and Rob Atkinson as well.
07:01Yeah, Conor and Rob, they're both on course. Both of them are six to eight weeks from the
07:05time of the injury, so we're not quite there yet. So yeah, we're hopeful that at some point
07:11this season, they'll be back and I'm sure they will. It's just one of those as well
07:15with the nature of the injuries, we have to be a bit cautious.