Will Still makes honest prediction for Southampton vs Portsmouth ahead of South Coast derby clash

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Summer Southampton appointment, Will Still, will enjoy his first derby clash against Portsmouth after the international break.

Southampton have made a solid start to Championship life under Will Still during his first four league games in charge, with five points from the first 12 on offer.

Before the international break, Still’s side travelled to Watford for a 2-2 draw, and now his side are set to face South Coast rivals Portsmouth when league action resumes next weekend.

John Mousinho’s side sit five places higher in the league than Southampton in eighth after two wins, one draw, and one loss during their opening four exchanges.

You would have to hark back to April 2012 for the last Championship meeting between the two, and Still is expecting a difficult test from his first taste of the Saints’ arch rivals.

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Will Still previews Southampton vs Portsmouth derby clash

Southampton’s last clash against Pompey ended in a 2-2 draw in 2012, seeing Nigel Adkins’ Saints earn promotion and Portsmouth relegated.

Since then, Southampton have been in a higher division and won the most recent affair between the two rivals with a 4-0 EFL cup tie win at Fratton Park in 2019.

In-form full-back Ryan Manning believes Southampton will be “at the top end” of the Championship this season, and many second tier supporters would agree.

If the Saints want to start a winning run after the international break, then a momentum-building South Coast derby win on home soil over their arch rivals would be the perfect platform.

Ahead of his first Saints vs Pompey derby, Still outlined the messages he is instilling in his Southampton squad ahead of the momentous occasion.

Still said via the Southern Daily Echo: “You can talk about tactical stuff as long as you want, 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever it is.

“I think the derby is there to be won and to do whatever it takes to win it. 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, and that’s what we’ll have to do. I hope that the players understand that.

“We’ll 100 per cent put that message out there because we obviously know how big and important that is to the city itself and to the people.

“The tactical element of it, yes, plays a part, but on the day itself it’s just about who wants it more because it’s two teams going up against each other.

“It will be competitive so it’s just about the little details and who’s willing to make those details lean into our favour or theirs. We have to be doing that.”

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Will Still set to hand new Southampton players their debuts vs Portsmouth

Still’s side have added some impressive second tier talent to their ranks this summer, with Southampton signing Tom Fellows from West Brom and the bargain £12m capture of Finn Azaz from Middlesbrough.

Additionally, Southampton signed Leo Scienza on deadline day ahead of Paris FC for an £8.6m fee, with Casper Jander and Elias Jelert among the new arrivals at St Mary’s.

Making your Southampton debut on home soil in the Portsmouth derby clash would be a baptism of fire for the new Saints cohort, but Still may do so.

Still added: “I hate international breaks, to be honest with you. You can’t do much as a team because you’re missing a lot of players, but you’ve just got to get on with it.

“We’ll use the time to do what we can and then hopefully we will get people back sooner rather than later.

“We’ll make sure that if the new players are here, they’re aware of what we’re doing, where we’re going – and spend as much time as we can together.

“We will be doing things that will help these guys fit in and we’ll have a clear picture of who we are, what the team looks like and where we want to go.”