[The Athletic] Arsenal needed Ben White to step up against Brentford, and he delivered

The term ‘forgotten man’ might be harsh on Ben White, but Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Brentford was only his second Premier League start of the season, and his second league appearance overall.

It was the second league game he had played in 109 days since the opening-day victory over Manchester United, a match for which he was awarded Player of the Match. He had featured in the Champions League and Carabao Cup in the interim, but with Jurrien Timber’s outstanding consistency, game time had not come easily for a player once at the top of Mikel Arteta’s most trusted resources.

With Takehiro Tomiyasu out with illness and Timber suffering a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, White played through the pain and captained Arsenal’s title charge. He finished in the top five for minutes played for three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2024, but a knee operation saw him miss a large chunk of last season, and he struggled to displace Timber after suffering a bruised hip just a week into this campaign.

The timing must have been particularly frustrating for White, who was one of Arsenal’s standout performers during pre-season. But facing Brentford this week felt like a good omen.

Although his debut for Arsenal might not have been a memorable one (a surprise opening-day defeat), it came against Brentford back in August 2021. He has since made better memories against them, assisting both of Arsenal’s goals in a 2-1 win in March 2024.

Against Brentford, White was named Man of the Match.

In his first meeting with them since then, playing at right-back, he continued that form. Within 11 minutes of his return, he had assisted Mikel Merino’s opener.

After a superb one-two with Noni Madueke, he delivered a soft cross into the six-yard box that was met by Merino, bringing to mind images of him overlapping with Bukayo Saka in the early stages of Arsenal’s ascent to becoming the Premier League’s most consistently threatening team.

White is a player who has had to wait for his chance, and is a man of few words, so perhaps it was fitting that the joy of his teammates spoke volumes.

Madueke instinctively celebrated with a slightly shy White after he had assisted Merino, praising his goal contribution, and after the match, Arteta said: “Personally, I am really, really happy for him as a human being. And all his teammates are. He is a player that has always delivered for us.

“Unfortunately, he has not played many games for obvious reasons,” he added. “Jurrien was doing great and he (White) had to have a period out, and then he had to fight his way back in. But his attitude was always very positive. And then when the opportunity arrives, he has to take it, like he did today. I’m really happy that he’s back to his best, because we need him. He’s a tremendous player.”

White helped his team to their eighth Premier League clean sheet of the season.

The necessity was made even clearer in the first half when Kristoffer Moussa Mosquera was forced off through injury, adding to the lengthy absentee list alongside William Saliba and Gabriel. Timber was deployed centrally, and Arteta was hesitant to break up the White/Madueke combination that had dictated the early stages of the first half so strongly. And with an ever-increasing quick turnaround of games leading into Saturday’s 12:30pm (local time) kick-off at Aston Villa, that combination might well need to be his right-hand side of defence.

However, Arteta also saw a few other encouraging elements as he plotted his side’s festive schedule.

White played with a one- and two-touch assurance when he entered the box, whether whipping in a cross or playing a pass back to a teammate. He positioned himself very centrally when Arsenal were in possession during the early stages, a slight shift from how he had been used before, leaving more space on the flank for Madueke.

But most importantly, White threw himself about without hesitation.

He is the only Arsenal player to record over six tackles and over six clearances in a Premier League game across the last 10 seasons, and when asked about his attacking contribution, Arteta placed immense emphasis on White’s defensive output.

“The most important thing for a defender is to defend. To defend with that purpose and that determination and efficiency,” he said. “And then if he can add more value with his quality on the ball with his passing, his movement, his crosses, then it’s even better. And I think today he did both exceptionally well.”

After accumulating close to 3,000 minutes of playing time in each of his first three seasons at Arsenal, his knee surgery saw his total minutes played last season stand at 1,198 across all competitions (13 starts).

Nine Arsenal players have already played more minutes than him across all competitions this season, but it may now be time for White to remind everyone just how integral he has been (and can still be) to the Arteta project.

When questioned about White ahead of the North London derby last month, Arteta said that his right-back needed to “earn the right to play, and prove it, like every other player.”

He certainly earned it against Brentford, helping Arsenal maintain their five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City. The challenge now is to sustain that level at least twice a week as the fixtures pile up over the busy festive period.

[The Athletic] Arsenal needed Ben White to step up against Brentford, and he delivered.