The Portsmouth FC weapon who should terrify Southampton & Will Still | OneFootball

Josh Murphy’s early season form should be cause for concern for the Saints

The south coast derby is finally back - and not a moment too soon.

For the first time since April 2012, Portsmouth and Southampton will meet in league action, with St Mary’s braced for one of the most anticipated fixtures of the Championship season.

Much has happened since these rivals last shared a division. Southampton have experienced the highs of European football and the lows of one of the most disastrous Premier League campaigns ever recorded.

Portsmouth, meanwhile, spent seven long seasons fighting their way out of League One before finally returning to the second tier in 2024.

Now, their paths collide again - and this time Pompey make the short trip up the M27 sitting above the Saints in the table.

But there is more than pride at stake. Southampton, reeling from relegation and a slow start to life back in the Championship, desperately need to make a statement under new boss Will Still.

Pompey, meanwhile, see this as a chance to prove that last season’s survival was just the beginning.

Will Still’s Southampton face a new-look Portsmouth

If Southampton are expecting the same Portsmouth side they last faced in 2019, they will be in for a surprise. John Mousinho has built a team with energy, pace and a clear identity - one that looks very comfortable at this level.

Pompey head into the derby with two wins, a draw, and a single defeat from their opening four matches, a start good enough for eighth place.

Southampton sit 13th after taking just five points from a possible 12, and Still has been frank about what will be required from his players next weekend.

“You can talk about tactical stuff as long as you want, 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever it is - but on the day itself, it’s about who wants it more,” Still told the Daily Echo.

“You need to stick your little toe on the line or your backside to defend the goal. If you’ve got to throw yourself at anything, then that’s what you’ve got to do.”

It’s the sort of rhetoric you would expect from a manager preparing for a derby. But Still will know that the game could hinge on one or two moments of quality - and Portsmouth have a player capable of delivering exactly that.

Josh Murphy could be Pompey’s game-changer in Southampton derby game

Enter Josh Murphy. Signed from Oxford United in 2024, he has become central to Mousinho’s plans - a direct winger who stretches defences, wins fouls, and drives the team forward.

On his day, Murphy has always been a nightmare for defenders - rapid, direct, and aggressive in possession - but in the past 18 months he’s found consistency to go with his natural talent.

His 2024/25 season was one of the most productive of his career, racking up seven goals and 14 assists.

The early numbers this season suggest he’s picked up where he left off. Murphy already has an assist to his name and has completed 14 progressive carries - more than double any of his teammates.

He wins duels, wins fouls, and stretches the pitch. In a game where the Saints will want to dominate possession and territory, that threat in transition could be Pompey’s best weapon.

Most importantly, Murphy feels made for a fixture like this. He is a player who thrives on intensity, embraces the physical battle, and has the ability to change a game in a single burst of pace.

Southampton’s full backs will need to be switched on from the first whistle - any lapse in concentration and Murphy will punish them.

For Pompey, this is exactly the stage they brought him in for: a chance to be decisive on one of the most emotionally charged afternoons of the season. For Will Still and Southampton, stopping him might just be their single most important task.