Ben Pearson and Kalvin Phillips. To many Premier League football fans these names will mean very little, or even nothing. To well versed Championship football fans, however, these two names belong to the two best midfielders in the division. Pearson is a brutal terrier of a player, shithousing[1] his way through the division’s top players for Preston North End. Phillips is a classy operator, playing his trade for Leeds United. While the two players play in the same position, they play very differently. Pearson is an aggressive enforcer, scared of no man and no card, regardless of its colour. He breaks up play like no other midfielder in the division, covering more ground than most players while also terrifying opposition fans and players with his tenacious attitude and ferocious tackling. Phillips is regarded as the more slick and classy option, spraying both short and long-range passes across the pitch, combined with very astute defensive duties. With Ben Pearson merely 24, and Phillips only 23, the two have successful careers laid out in front of them, whether that be for their current clubs or elsewhere. There is no doubt in my mind that both young men can go all the way and play for England, but they will. And with England’s main weaknesses in recent games directly linked to midfield conundrums, I truly believe that Pearson and/or Phillips could do the business for England in the sitting role.
Recent England games have been largely positive- big wins, albeit against smaller nations, resulting in qualification to the 2020 European Championships, while losing only one game in qualifying and scoring a remarkable 37 goals, with only Italy matching this figure. But this period for the national team has not been totally flawless, with a chastising loss in the Nations League to Holland to bear, a loss to the Czech Republic preventing a perfect qualifying campaign and some slippery moments against an energetic Kosovo at St Mary’s. During these negative moments, and even during some of the positive matches, one thing has stood out to me as a fan and viewer. England lack something in midfield. At the back, we have dynamic, sometimes aneurysm-inducing centre backs in Harry Maguire and John Stones who provide brilliant passing ability, aerial prowess and a tendency to hang onto the ball for a little too long. In goal we have one of the best distributive goalkeepers in the English game in Jordan Pickford, who is consistently amongst the top goalies in terms of the number of saves he makes. In the fullbacks we have bombing, attacking threats in Ben Chilwell and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who’s crossing ability is matched by their defensive commitments. Going forward we have some of the most exciting attacking players in Europe, including Wunderkind Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane (who’s remarkable statistic of scoring in every qualifying game cannot be ignored) and one of the Premier League’s best players Raheem Sterling. Looking at England’s midfield, there is a gap in this potentially brilliant team. The midfield selections lack balance, bite and composure. The midfield’s attacking talents are undeniable- Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Mason Mount, Harry Winks and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all wonderful attacking talents. A midfield, however, requires balance. This brilliant array of attacking options need protection when they rarely lose the ball. They need someone winning the ball deep in the defensive zone to start attacks. England may have good distributive centre backs at their disposal, with Tyrone Mings and Fikayo Tomori added to Southgate’s agenda, but every team needs strong defensive midfielders to bring balance to the team. Against Holland in the Nations League semi-final, England were badly exposed in the middle, with flying Dutchmen careering through gaps and space, leaving the centre backs badly exposed. John Stones was hounded that evening and the following days for a weak defensive performance. Granted, he could have done better, but he was left to fend almost for himself as England’s midfield allowed runners straight through them. It was a similar story in the game against Kosovo in Southampton, in which Kosovo managed to grab some goals by running straight through England. England struggle to cope with a direct style straight through the middle. The retirement of James Milner from international duties, in my eyes, has resulted in a gap in the English defensive midfielder market. Jordan Henderson’s role at Liverpool is much more than ball winning, as he often presses teams within an inch of their lives in Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football style. Eric Dier’s fall from grace in an England and Tottenham shirt has effectively eradicated another name from contention. To many, young Declan Rice had seemed to be the answer. A disappointing start to the season with West Ham and some shaky England performances, however, and Rice seems to have his flaws exposed all too quickly.
Enter the fray Pearson and Phillips. Before I analyse both player’s strengths, I shall address the main issue I’m sure many will take with this piece- the fact that these two play their trade in the Championship, so have therefore not gone up against the best players that Europe has to offer. I concede, Pearson and Phillips do not face Europe’s brightest and best in domestic and European competitions on a weekly basis. What they do face week in, week out, however, is a very diverse range of defences and attacks. This may sound obvious for a competitive league of 24 teams, but the Championship is an incredibly unpredictable and varied league in terms of playing style and management. Gone are the days in which every single Championship team’s mantra was ‘if it moves kick it, if it doesn’t move then kick it until it does.’ That does not mean that the Championship is devoid of aggressive and physical players, but it is now much more of a mix of styles. There are possession based teams like Leeds; high pressing teams like Preston; high octane, defence is optional teams like QPR, and your standard hoof ball teams, who I won’t mention here for fear of backlash (the key culprit rhymes with Bigan). Pearson and Phillips are therefore very well versed with the constant changes and adaptability that comes with being a Championship footballer. Not only is the Championship an unpredictable cauldron of varying footballing styles and nous, but the quality of player should not be sniffed at. High profile loans, relegated Premier League maestros, up and coming prodigies and experienced older heads make up a large proportion of the Championship, with many fully seasoned internationals either now or in the past. The fact that Aleksandar Mitrovic is playing in the Championship, on 15 goals already this season, is a true testament to the quality which the league possesses. Last season is a good reference point to consider the quality which spread across the Championship. The play off final between Derby and Aston Villa saw Villa promoted. Less than 9 months on, we have seen 3 players who played in that final called up to the England squad, with Tomori and Mason Mount on loan at Derby, and Mings on loan at Villa. Both teams boasted international talent now performing very well in the Premier League, with Jack Grealish (somehow still not receiving international call ups) and John McGinn both key components to Villa’s beating heart in the Premier League thus far this season, and Harry Wilson translating his brilliant Championship form for Derby to Bournemouth and Wales, where he has shown again he is the king of the knuckleball. I am personally unconvinced that Mount, Tomori and Mings’ footballing ability improved so much in the first three months of the Premier League season that they were suddenly good enough for their call ups to England duty. Their ability was there last season, shown by how the three of them steamrollered their way through the league. When Jarrod Bowen leaves Hull City in January for a Premier League club, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time until he has an England call up to his name. The same position would apply to Pearson and Phillips I’m sure. If either left their clubs for a Premier League team within the next 12 months, I’m convinced we would see them in an England shirt in sure time.
So, what of Pearson and Phillips themselves? What do they bring to the table? Both players bring different but very important skills which I believe would be invaluable to the England national team. Phillips is not only an astute defensive midfielder, able to play centre back too, but is also a crisp passer of the ball. He is one of the key cogs in Marco Bielsa’s side, offering so much with and without the ball. When the quality of this Leeds side is considered, Pablo Hernandez and Mateusz Klich for example, and Phillips is still regarded as their most important player, it is a true testament to just how brilliant this young man is. Phillips is a brilliant longer passer of the ball, often attempting audacious long-range pings and switching the play to allow Bielsa’s men to carve up their trademark attacks. So far this season, Phillips has completed 5.2 long balls per game, demonstrating his skillset. He has also won 131 duels, while winning 38 aerial duels too, showing that Phillips is much more than a classy passing operator, but an impressive defender too. Affectionately nicknamed ‘The Yorkshire Pirlo’ by the Elland Road faithful, Phillips has impressed not only Championship fans, but also those higher up the English football ladder. Reports have it a host of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, have been scouting Phillips with the eye to acquire him within the next year or even in the January transfer window. If Leeds fail to get promoted again this season (their arch nemeses of the months of March, April and May beckon), I highly doubt Phillips will still be with Leeds next season, but I have no doubt he will obtain an England cap very shortly after. Phillips is a type of player who seems to make everything he does look incredibly easy. He glides through games as though it is just him and the ball, the pressure of 35,000 fans in a packed-out Elland Road far from his mind as he scoops up the ball and sweetly strikes it into the path of an attacking player.
Pearson, meanwhile, offers something else. While he is not a goal scorer nor a Beckham-esque passer, he is the one of the best defensive midfielders for tackling in the league. One of the major criticisms of Pearson throughout his time with Preston has been his discipline, but, this season, he seems to have cut that side of his game out to an extent. In fact, Pearson has received 5 yellow cards this season compared to Phillips’ 4, so the difference between the two men does not seem to extend to this area. Previously, Pearson could be described as a walking card (yellow or red) but, after his mother’s refusal to watch him unless his discipline improved, Pearson seems to have stamped out this side of his game. This season, Pearson has won 73.3% of his tackles and completed 109 recoveries. Pearson covers so much ground in every game, constantly tracking back to help out the defence while offering great supporting lines when his teammates are getting forward. And while I have made much of Pearson’s defensive capabilities, a quick word that he has a pass accuracy of 82.6%. Pearson is a key aspect of this brilliant young Preston team, keeping the team not only safe from opposition attacks but also keeping things ticking over in the middle. Pearson’s importance is also shown in how he brings his teammates into the game. As the destructive tackler he is, he allows other Preston players to express themselves going forward. Paul Gallagher, the fine wine himself, when playing alongside Pearson is allowed to neglect certain defensive duties and can carry out his job as one of the best distributive midfielders in the league. Gallagher has perfectly adapted to the quarterback role in this PNE side, something which would not be possible without Pearson protecting him and mopping up behind him. Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson, over Alex Neil’s tenure, have been able to develop further into brilliant, goal scoring midfielders. This is in part because they know they have the security of Pearson behind them cleaning up any mistakes they make themselves. For teams to be successful, they need brave and dynamic midfielders who look to pick hard passes. This, however, is not possible without defensive midfielders behind them providing security and cleaning up when they lose the ball if they try and thread an inch perfect pass through the eye of a needle. Pearson offers this perfectly and would allow England’s flair midfielders such as James Maddison and Dele Alli to start attacks with the confidence he is behind them to recover the ball with his exemplary tackling and positional play. Ben Pearson is unlikely to be playing in the Championship for much longer. It breaks my Preston supporting heart, but unless North End are promoted this season, Pearson will not be a Lilywhite for much longer. With a year left on his deal in the summer, PNE are unlikely to be able to negotiate a new contract with a player of such talent, young age and ever increasing reputation, so may be forced to cash in in the same manner they were forced to with Callum Robinson. Much like Phillips, if Pearson were to leave Deepdale for the Premier League, I have no doubt in my mind he would receive an England call up.
Ben Pearson and Kalvin Phillips, therefore, are good options for Gareth Southgate’s dilemma of how to fix England’s midfield issues. Both players offer defensive nous and passing acumen, while bringing a determination and work rate which I believe few England midfielders offer. While question marks will hover over their heads around whether they can handle the quality which international football possesses, both players have shown over the last few seasons just how much they bring to their teams and how important they are. Preston without Pearson are never the same team, and Leeds without Phillips lack a gutting edge and heart which is almost irreplaceable. Furthermore, England play an awful lot of qualifiers and friendlies against, no disrespect intended, second rate nations. Pearson and Phillips could be gradually bedded into international football against the minnows, with the levels quality they face rising as their England careers progress. Both players are young enough to be invested in. I am not claiming that either of them are the finished article, but the pair of them possess a quality which could offer England exciting times in the midfield. Pearson’s destructive tackling and sweeping play to protect the back four and attacking midfielders, while Phillips’ positional nous and expansive passing game are enough to surely excite any England fan.
[1] Otherwise known as game management, ‘shithousing’ is the art of disrupting the opposition’s game as much as possible, through feigning injury, time wasting and professional fouls.
DISCLAIMER : I do not own the rights to the photos included in this article nor claim to.