Portsmouth Boss Fires Warning Shot at Underperformers Ahead of Derby County Clash: “We’re Carrying Players”

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has dropped a strong hint that changes are coming to his starting lineup ahead of this weekend’s crucial Championship showdown with Derby County—and he didn’t mince his words when assessing his team’s midweek performance.

Following a gut-wrenching 1-0 defeat to Coventry City, where Pompey conceded in stoppage time, Mousinho slammed some of his squad for falling below the required standard, saying bluntly: “We were carrying a couple of players.” Though he refused to name names, the frustration was evident.

“Without naming names, there were a couple who I thought didn’t quite get to the standards of the rest of the team,” Mousinho admitted. “That was disappointing. Whenever you are doing that and carrying a couple of players, you won’t be able to afford to do that at this level.”

The defeat leaves Portsmouth just three points ahead of Derby County, who themselves are teetering just above the relegation zone on goal difference in 21st. With pressure mounting and stakes rising, Mousinho made it clear that he expects total commitment from everyone on the pitch, every single game.

“Maybe at different levels you can get away with it when players dip below the required level, but that certainly isn’t the case when you’re playing Coventry away with the amount of talent they’ve got—we need everyone right at it.”

His comments strongly suggest he will shake things up for the Derby clash on Saturday (3pm at Fratton Park), as Portsmouth look to stop the slide and pull themselves further clear of the bottom three.

“We need players who are at it 24/7 and know what they are doing every time they step on the pitch,” he added. “Football isn’t a particularly forgiving landscape. We’ve seen that, we’ve learned that the hard way.”

With both teams fighting for survival, this weekend’s fixture is shaping up to be a high-stakes battle, and Mousinho’s post-defeat outburst may well be the spark to light a fire under a squad that’s been drifting dangerously close to a relegation scrap. Expect big decisions—and possibly big consequences.

In other news, Anthony’s loan could pave the way for a Portsmouth permanent move.