Kenny Jackett wants to see an improvement from his side when they face Stevenage on Saturday.
Pompey visit Broadhall Way for their latest pre-season contest, having won all three of their previous friendlies.
But Jackett felt they were below par in last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Havant & Waterlooville at Westleigh Park.
And he is looking for them to keep building ahead of the League One opener against Shrewsbury in a fortnight.
The Blues boss said: “I didn’t think it was a particularly good or energetic performance at Havant & Waterlooville last Saturday.
“We lacked some creativity going forward and were unable to get many shots away – it was quite lacklustre.
"We’re focusing on making sure that we’ve got a squad capable of starting the season well, with that Shrewsbury game coming up quickly."
“That can happen when you’ve got people getting back to fitness, but now we want to improve at Stevenage.
“We didn’t play great there last year and ended up losing the game, so we want to step up and be better.
“We’re focusing on making sure that we’ve got a squad capable of starting the season well, with that Shrewsbury game coming up quickly.”
Jackett is close to having a fully-fit squad, with defender Jack Whatmough the only long-term absentee.
He said: “I expect James Bolton, Oli Hawkins and Ryan Williams to all start training on Monday, which is good news.
“Bryn Morris may not make Saturday after coming off at Bognor with a slight injury in his stomach area.
“It’s something that’s been niggling away at him for some time and is frustrating because although it’s nothing serious, it keeps occurring and is holding him back.”