Blackburn boss Ismael makes stark admission after loss v Portsmouth
Portsmouth secured a vital victory over Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday and opposition boss Valerien Ismael was not impressed.
A well-worked goal from Josh Murphy in the first half proved to be the difference as Portsmouth recorded a 1-0 win, in what was a fairly dull affair overall.
There were few chances for either side, but John Mousinho’s team held firm to secure the victory, with Murphy’s clinical finish the clear deciding factor as Blackburn struggled to hit the target.
Blackburn manager Ismael has now expressed his frustration at his side’s performance, and claimed that they did not do enough to beat Portsmouth.
Ismael explains Blackburn frustration against Portsmouth
Speaking to Rovers TV (29 March) after the game, Ismael claimed that while he was happier in the second half, Blackburn did not test Pompey goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid enough.
“The second half was much better. There was more conviction, but we still were missing that desire to score a goal with the crosses and the shots on target. We needed to be proactive and to change the mindset,” Ismael stated.
| Stat | Portsmouth | Blackburn |
| Possession | 47% | 53% |
| Shots on target | 2 | 3 |
| Shots off target | 1 | 6 |
“You need to take more risks and there were too many square balls and passes backwards. We didn’t test the goalkeeper enough and this is what we have to do for the next games.
“The goal was too easy and I think we’ve conceded a lot of soft goals, simple goals.
“We have to make it more difficult for the opponent to score goals and have more conviction in ourselves and be more proactive.”
Blackburn registered nine shots to Portsmouth’s three, but just three of these hit the target, with Schmid enjoying a very comfortable afternoon at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth victory over Blackburn vital in relegation battle
It was far from the most exciting game for Pompey, but it was a massive result in the Championship relegation battle.
The result means that Portsmouth are just seven points behind Blackburn, with Pompey tipped for relegation and Blackburn pushing for the play-off spots in recent months.
The win puts extra pressure on Derby County, who are now seven points behind Pompey, and there is more breathing space between Mousinho’s side and the bottom three.
With seven games left this season, Pompey have been tipped to avoid the drop, with relegation tipped at less than a two-per-cent chance for the Blues this season.