‘This Portsmouth star is arguably better than any of his rivals’
Portsmouth have suffered a major setback after losing 2-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
Goals from Barry Bannan and George Brown sunk Pompey during a frustrating afternoon where they were largely unable to get out of first gear.
Portsmouth were heavy favourites to beat Sheffield Wednesday and continue their good form, but they were toothless in attack and sloppy in defence.
Conor Shaughnessy also limped off with a hamstring injury to add to Portsmouth’s string of injury worries.
With a difficult run of fixtures ahead, the optimism surrounding Fratton Park could now be fading.
Football League expert suggests there’s ‘nobody better’ in Championship than Josh Murphy
Portsmouth were without Josh Murphy against Sheffield Wednesday due to a minor ankle injury suffered in the days leading up to the match.
The winger was named Portsmouth’s player of the season in 2024/25 and has been their biggest source of creativity during this campaign as well.
Murphy was replaced by Florian Bianchini, who was arguably the worst player on the pitch. The Frenchman got into good positions on several occasions, but the quality of his crossing was consistently abysmal.
The abject attacking display has led to fans questioning whether the team are too reliant on Murphy.
Indeed, a column from EFL expert Chris Dunlavy in the Football League Paper (page 7, 21 Sep) has suggested that there’s ‘nobody better’ on the wing than Murphy in the Championship.
Dunlavy said: “The 30-year-old isn’t blessed with dazzling pace, nor is he the sort of flashy trick merchant who racks up hits on YouTube. But when it comes to old-school wing play – working a yard, picking your head up and putting an early ball into the box- there is arguably nobody better in the Championship.”
Squad depth is a concern for Portsmouth as injuries begin to rack up
Portsmouth were without key players Nicolas Schmid, Callum Lang and Murphy against Sheffield Wednesday.
Now, Shaughnessy is likely to be missing for a few weeks after his injury on Saturday.
With a tough run of fixtures ahead, we will see just how well Portsmouth’s squad players can respond to the demands of the Championship.
| Date | Opponent |
| 27 September | Ipswich (A) |
| 1 October | Watford (H) |
| 18 October | Leicester (A) |
| 21 October | Coventry (H) |
Based on the performance against Sheffield Wednesday, Pompey fans won’t be too optimistic about progressing without these key stars.
The good news for them is that Murphy is likely to be fit enough to face Ipswich on 27 September.
The bad news is that Conor Chaplin is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Portsmouth news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @pompeynews247