Fixating on defeats an 'unhealthy' habit - Mousinho

John Mousinho has steered Portsmouth eight points clear of the relegation zone in the Championship with 11 matches to go

John Mousinho says he has an 'unhealthy' habit of fixating on defeats and can vividly recall all 25 he has endured as Portsmouth boss.

The 38-year-old was appointed at Fratton Park in January 2023 and suffered four losses in his first 23 matches in charge as Pompey finished eighth in League One.

Portsmouth lost only five of 46 matches last season as they finished as champions, though Saturday's 1-0 reverse at Luton was their 16th in 35 games following promotion to the Championship.

In 104 league games under Mousinho, Portsmouth have won 48 and lost 25 and after, being in the relegation zone in mid-January, a run of five wins, one draw and four defeats in the last 10 games have given the club an excellent chance of avoiding an immediate return to the third tier.

Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent when it comes to defeats, the trick is to get the right balance between reflecting on them and moving on.

"The key is to get over it as quick as possible, but what you don't want to do is just brush it under the carpet and not learn from some of the mistakes we made," Mousinho said.

"We made sure we got everything out of our system [after Luton]. There's still some important things to be aware of going into future games."

With the visit of Championship leaders Leeds on Sunday [12:00 GMT], Mousinho said he finds it harder not to dwell on bad results.

"I can still remember every single loss from last season and the season before, and this season as well.

"You never properly get over them because there's always something to take from them.

"The wins go out of your mind. It's probably not a particularly healthy habit in football – the losses are always amplified and it feels like the end of the world, after you win a game you want to try and keep your feet on the ground and play it down."