Danny Cowley has had plenty of time to work his side on the training pitch over the past couple of weeks.
With no match since a goalless draw with Wycombe on March 19, he has made the most of a rare gap in the schedule.
But now it is about to get busy again, as Pompey have to fit in their final eight fixtures of the 2021/22 campaign before the end of the month.
It all starts with a rearranged trip to Bolton this evening and Cowley believes they are in good shape to attack the closing weeks.
The Blues boss said: “We had a huge run of fixtures, so the break provided a good opportunity to freshen the squad up.
“Being able to have a sustained period of training out on the grass was really useful and we could work on the principles of play that are important to us.
“We know that this group are in a transitional period and we want to continue building that understanding and our style of play.
“This team have only lost one in 10, although we would have liked to attack the Ipswich, Plymouth and Wycombe games at the end of that run.
“We wanted more energy and freshness, but that wasn’t to be with where the squad were at that particular time.
"Being able to have a sustained period of training out on the grass was really useful and we could work on the principles of play that are important to us."
“Now we look forward to the games that lie ahead – and we’ve got five of them coming up in the space of just 13 days.
“We’re in a much better place physically to deal with that and are excited to see this group continue to grow.”
Pompey face a Bolton outfit sitting one place below them in the standings, with the sides only separated by goal difference.
Cowley said: “They’re a progressive club who showed their ambition in the January transfer window and made some good acquisitions to improve their squad.
“There are some top League One performers at Bolton and we know it will be tough, but we’re looking forward to it.
“We know that the difference between teams in this division is small and we’ve proven before that we can put good runs together.
“There are eight games to go for us and so we have to negotiate this run – that will define how we finish this season.”
Pompey have no new injury concerns, while midfielder Shaun Williams could return after recovering from a back problem.
Cowley said: “We’re probably in the best place we’ve been since the end of August and we’re going to need a squad with the games coming thick and fast.
“Shaun has been able to train throughout this period without a match and he’s ready, which is a real positive.”