John Mousinho hits out at football chiefs as Portsmouth face fixture congestion nightmare

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has questioned the decision to have a three-week international break, warning that it could create physical challenges for his players once Championship action resumes.

Pompey are currently in the first week of the extended break and will return to league action on October 11 when they travel to Southampton for the south-coast derby.

With no competitive fixture this weekend, Portsmouth have been able to give their players some time away before gradually returning to full training. The club are also expected to play a behind-closed-doors friendly next week as Mousinho looks to prepare his squad for the demanding period ahead.

However, Portsmouth will face a hectic schedule when league football returns, with five matches to be played across just 13 days. Mousinho believes the combination of such a lengthy break followed by a congested run of fixtures raises questions about player welfare and fitness.

The Pompey boss has also criticised the length of the international window itself, arguing that players cannot properly reproduce the demands of competitive matches during such a long period without football.

Mousinho said the three-week gap was excessive and suggested that the people responsible for arranging the international calendar had not given enough consideration to the physical side of the game.

He also pointed to the fixture schedule that follows international breaks, particularly the increasing number of midweek Championship matches.

With many of those games being selected for television coverage, teams can sometimes be asked to play on a Wednesday before returning to action at 12.30pm on the Saturday.

Mousinho believes that kind of turnaround can place additional physical demands on players, although he acknowledged that the Championship’s growing television revenue is important to clubs.

He said there has to be a compromise between protecting players from excessive workloads and recognising the financial benefits that television coverage brings to the league.

For Portsmouth, the immediate challenge will be managing the squad through a demanding run of fixtures after three weeks without a competitive game.