Preston have made three defensive signings this summer, and that area of the pitch is now looking pretty stacked.
Liam Lindsay has joined permanently from Stoke City after a strong loan spell, whilst Sepp van den Berg is back for another loan spell from Liverpool.
Ex-Rotherham ace Matthew Olosunde joined on a free transfer last week and looks to be Preston’s first-choice right back moving forward.
Frankie McAvoy now has an embarrassment of riches in defence, and Van den Berg has now made it clear where he wants to play.
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post, Van den Berg suggested that he now wants to play as a centre back after mostly playing at right wing back for Preston last season.
McAvoy has hinted that he will play three at the back next season too, leaving fans to wonder who will start in North End’s back line.
We caught a little bit of heat on Twitter for suggesting Andrew Hughes to start, but let us explain that choice.
When playing a back three, your outside centre backs are likely to be dragged into wide areas, so they need to have mobility. You may even see full backs playing in that role now, like Kyle Walker has with England.
Hughes being a natural left footer is also important on that side. Being on his stronger side helps navigating pressing traps set by the opposition, rather than having a right footer there coming back inside more often than not.
It’s not an absolute deal breaker; Harry Maguire plays on the left side for England and is right footed, but it’s preferred.
Liam Lindsay is left-footed too, but doesn’t have the same mobility as Hughes, and having him isolated in the channels may not be the best way to use him.
Greg Cunningham or Josh Earl could play there, but when you consider Hughes’ height, natural left-footed ability, more pace than Lindsay and comfort on the ball, Hughes arguably fits better as a left-sided centre back than he does as a left wing back in this system, and played well in this role last season.
Lindsay fits best as the central defender in a back three, but so does Patrick Bauer… so does Paul Huntington. That’s three options for one role, but we’d back Lindsay for now.
Bauer is only just coming back from a major achilles injury suffered in December, so expecting him to just slot seamlessly back into the side is bold, and he may have to wait for his chance to wrestle the spot back from Lindsay.
On the right side, Preston would have Jordan Storey and Van den Berg. Storey ended the season well, whilst Van den Berg ticks many of the same boxes as Hughes; tall, mobile, comfortable with the ball at his feet.
The Dutchman seems like a great fit in that right-sided centre back role, but he will face major competition from Storey, who played in that right-sided role under McAvoy last term.
Building this defence isn’t quite as easy as saying ‘start Bauer’ or ‘drop Hughes for Storey’. Starting a back three of Storey, Bauer and Lindsay may leave North End lacking pace, and starting three right footers would be a gamble in terms of building from the back.
That’s why our back three would be Van den Berg, Lindsay and Hughes at this point; Lindsay’s lack of pace can be masked by the defenders either side of him, whilst you’re not rushing Bauer back to a starting role after more than six months out.
Van den Berg gets the role he wants, whilst Hughes can take that left side with support from Cunningham, with Olosunde offering a natural wing back option on the right.
This decision is ultimately McAvoy’s call, but with North End having so many options at the back, everyone will have their own combinations; this is ours, attempting to find the best blend of attributes for a three-man back line.