admin‘That’s what it feels like’ – Portsmouth boss John Mousinho makes weighty claim about Oxford United game at Fratton Park
John Mousinho has spoken about the importance of Monday’s Fratton Park game against Championship relegation rivals Oxford United
John Mousinho believes Monday’s game against Championship relegation rivals Oxford United will be the biggest in his Pompey managerial career.
Along with the Blues’ Fratton Park fixture against Leicester on April 18, the game against his former club has long been identified as a crucial match-up in the battle for second-tier safety.
Simply put, defeat for either side would make the job of remaining in the Championship extremely difficult.
Now the Blues boss has emphasised the importance of the fixture by insisting no game in his 38-month stay at PO4 carries as much weight.
Mousinho: Everything to play for
Mousinho has taken charge of some hugely significant fixtures since he swapped a playing career at the Kassam Stadium for the managerial hotseat at Fratton Park in January 2023.
The Blues’ 2-0 home victory against promotion rivals Bolton Wanderers during their 2023-24 League One title-winning season springs to mind, as does last term’s 1-0 win against Leeds United – a victory that went a long way to Pompey retaining their Championship status.
Fans will no doubt recall many more. However, Mousinho believes none will prove quite as important as the fast-approaching game against Oxford.
Speaking to BBC Solent after Friday’s important draw at Norwich – a point that keeps the Blues out of the bottom three- Mousinho said about the game: ‘It was going to be massive anyway, regardless of the result today, but it’s obviously a huge game.
‘We’ve got Oxford coming to Fratton Park, I think they’ve got a draw today, so they’re one point below us.
‘(There’s) everything to play for, to be honest, and you know, sometimes these fixtures are teed up for that.
This is probably the… They all feel like massive games, but this is probably the biggest game I feel like I’ve had since I’ve been here.
‘I don’t know about some people, but that’s what it feels like. ‘
What fans can expect from Pompey against Oxford United
Following the draw at Carrow Road and results elsewhere, Pompey remain 21st in the Championship table, just one point above both Oxford (23rd) and Leicester (22nd) who occupy the two remainng relegation places.
The Blues have played one game less than all their rivals at the bottom end of the Championship table, which gives them an advantage over those battling to avoid the drop into League One.
And that advantage coud be extended if they add to their victory at Oxford on the opening day of the campaign with another important win on Monday.
Identifying what his side need to do to keep the U’s at arm’s length, Mousinho said: ‘Monday at home against Oxford United at Fratton Park, we have to approach that in a different way (to the Norwich game).
‘It’s a different game, they’re a different side, we’re at home, there’s going to be an expectation from me, an expectation from the lads and the fans that there’s going to be a huge amount of energy, a huge amoung of aggression and an instensity from us from the start.’
‘The only thing that we have to focus on is trying to win on Monday and doing everything we can to win the game.’
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