Ben Pearson: The tenacious midfielder to lead Preston promotion hunt

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Preston North End are backed by many to contend for promotion this season under Alex Neil. During the Scottish manager’s first campaign in charge, they challenged for a top six finish and missed out by only two points.

It was an impressive debut season for Neil at Deepdale, but the squad and supporters were left thinking what might have been. They will have learned from that experience and they enter the 2018/19 campaign with stability. This isn’t something that a lot of Championship clubs have and that could be a huge advantage.

Their success has been built on shrewd recruitment, as they have managed to build a young, talented and hungry squad with a relatively small budget. They look to target players with potential and provide a platform for them to grow at Deepdale.

An excellent example of their success in the transfer market is Ben Pearson. The midfielder has been a regular over the last two seasons and he will be one of the key figures for Preston again as they target a top-six finish.

Who is he?

The midfielder came through the Manchester United youth academy, but he failed to make the grade at Old Trafford. Pearson’s education has benefitted him, but it was a lengthy loan spell with Barnsley that saw him grab Preston’s attention.

The 23-year-old impressed and ultimately earned a permanent transfer to Deepdale at the beginning of 2016. He has been a regular for the club since joining and is now one of their most important players as they target promotion.

What is his style of play?

Pearson is an aggressive midfielder who looks to make it difficult for opposition teams to play. Last season, he averaged 3.1 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game. He covers a lot of ground in the middle of the park and provides tenacity to the Preston midfield.

Although his primary role is to win possession back for his team, Pearson is tidy in possession as shown by his pass success rate of 78.7%. Furthermore, he contributed two assists last season.

His ability to win the ball back is his biggest strength, but he needs to improve his discipline if he is to have a bigger impact this season. During the last two seasons, he has accumulated 28 yellow card and one red card. Preston are a worse team when he is missing through suspension, therefore he needs to stay on the pitch as much as possible.

Why is he important to Preston?

During his first season in charge, Neil tried to coach a passing style of play, which resulted in Preston dominating possession in many of their matches. They ended the season with an average possession of 51.6%.

However, a result of this tactical shift was that Preston were liable to being caught by quick counter attacks. They needed a midfield player capable of winning back possession as efficiently as possible and Pearson performed that role.

His average tackles per match went from 2.2 in the 2016/17 season to 3.1 last season. It is clear that he was asked to be more aggressive in the centre of the park and do the dirty work out of possession. This allowed the more talented players to have more of the ball.

Pearson will have a similar role to perform this season as Neil will want his team to once again play a passing brand of football. They will be more effective after a year of experience in the Championship, but their 23-year-old midfielder remains vital when Preston don’t have the ball.

If he can dominate the midfield area and improve his discipline issues, Preston will have a great platform to do damage in attack and challenge for promotion.