Pearson: Positivity Is Our Strength

Pearson’s red-hot side return to action following the international break at Birmingham City on Saturday, looking for a sixth straight win to strengthen their position among the division’s early front-runners.

Six wins in their last seven games and a 100 per cent home record have lifted Leicester to second in the table, just a point behind leaders Cardiff.

And Pearson says his players must continue to take the initiative at the weekend, while respecting the quality possessed by Lee Clark’s Blues.

“We’ve got to try to pick up where we left off before the break, which isn’t always easy,” Pearson told the media ahead of Saturday’s game.

“It’s important for us to go into the game with a positive mind-set, as we have done in every game so far this season. I think one of our main strengths has been that we are a positive team in terms of how we set up and how we go about games.

“We’ll try to do that again, but we’re very aware of the fact that they (Birmingham) have some very good players.

“We’ve got to be at our best, as you’ve got to be every time you play in that division.”

Those that have seen the Foxes on a regular basis this season will argue that their recent upturn in results has been coming. Even early-on in the season, when results were varied, their performances carried huge amounts of promise.

And Pearson says the buy-in of the squad has been crucial to achieving the level of consistency they have found.

“Even when things weren’t going our way, we were confident we were not far away,” Pearson insisted.

“We’ve had a very good run of late and we want to keep that going. It’s about us trying to replicate our performances and, even when we’re not at our best, trying to be efficient.

“The players are keen for success; they want success for us as a Club and for themselves as individuals.

“We have players that are together as a group, but driven individually as well, so all in all they’ve bought into what we’re trying to achieve, which is the important thing.”

Impressive though their current position may be, Pearson is only too aware of the npower Championship’ competitive nature.

After 10 games, just six points separate leaders Cardiff from 11th-placed Middlesbrough, while there are plenty more clubs that will fancy their chances of surging up the table before May.

“If you look at the table, we’re in a good position at the moment, but all the clubs down to halfway will feel they’ve had a decent start,” he said.

“We’ve got to maintain it. The players are confident and I have a lot of confidence in faith in them both technically and as a group of people.

“Time will tell whether we can maintain it, but I’m confident that we can.”