Pompey hearts sank when Rotherham scored a stoppage-time winner last Saturday.
But Kenny Jackett has not had to work particularly hard to reinvigorate his troops ahead of their next contest.
They will look to bounce back with victory over a high-flying Shrewsbury side at Fratton Park this weekend.
And while Jackett admits there needs to be an improvement, he has no doubt about Pompey’s hunger for success.
The Blues boss said: “The training has been good and our players’ professionalism and desire has never been in question.
“They always work hard and want to do well, so there’s plenty of optimism around the place ahead of Saturday’s game.
"We do also want to add things in certain areas to give us a bit more quality going forward."
“We’ve got a determined bunch here and it’s been no different this week. We’ve had plenty of tight games and unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong end of that recently.
“So we’ll keep our heart, commitment and battling abilities because the way we’ve defended generally has been encouraging.
“But of course we do also want to add things in certain areas to give us a bit more quality going forward.”
Pompey will be facing a Shrews side who have recently fallen out of the League One automatic promotion places.
Jackett said: “Shrewsbury have done fantastically well – in the league and cups. They have a strong squad and don’t give many goals away.
“They compete in every game and that’s a fantastic attribute to have in this division. There is good competition right through their squad.”
There are no new injury concerns for Pompey and Gareth Evans is available again following a hamstring problem.
Jackett said: “He’s an experienced player in midfield for us and it was frustrating to lose him for a few weeks.
“But I’m confident that he’s fit now and looking forward to Saturday. His leadership qualities will certainly come in handy.”