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One To Watch: Josh Murphy

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The fixture come thick and fast this time of year so fatigue may set in for some players. The last thing that you need in a situation like this is to come up against a player who is full of beans. Unfortunately for Birmingham City, we have this with MK Don’s livewire, Josh Murphy.

I had the pleasure of watching his Norwich City youth team beat Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup a few years back. Josh and his twin brother Jacob were the stand out performers by a country mile.

Josh has the pace to beat most people but he also has the composure at the end to pick out a player in the middle that is so devastating for the oppositions in which he faces. He has played 20 games this season, scored 4 and assisted 4. These are decent stats but they don’t tell the full story.

The main thing that I have noticed about him is that if he loses the ball, he will work so hard to try and win it back high up the pitch. It’s this work rate that I think may be a problem for us because a few of the players may be a little worn out after the 3-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day. And therefore don’t want to be harried by a youngster who is eager to perform.

As individual players, the MK Dons do not have the level of personnel that we have. Maybe Josh Murphy being the exception. But it was easy for me to choose the one to watch for this game. However, they do work well in units and as a team. If we are able to get the first goal, then it will force them to come and attack which will leave gaps at the back. However, if we are drawing or losing with most of the game gone, I can see it being very difficult to overcome their backs to the wall style defending.

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