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Ben White cannot be pigeon-holed as a person, nor as a footballer. Before joining Arsenal, White was predominantly a centre-back, but played in midfield at times for both Leeds and Brighton. His final season on the south coast — the one that convinced Arsenal to part with £50m to sign him — saw him mostly used in a hybrid role on the right of a back three, driving forward down the right to support wing-back Tariq Lamptey.
Having played as something between centre-back and right-back that season, his transition to full-time right-back at Arsenal shouldn’t be so surprising. However, the seamless way he has taken to the role has allowed Mikel Arteta to slowly expand White’s remit over time and his performances are now absolutely integral to the development of the team.
Right-back doesn’t mean right-back now as it did 20 or even 10 years ago. Speaking to Sky Sports back in October, White talked about his adaptability and the specific challenges of playing the position under Arteta:
“I could play full-back, I could play anywhere across the backline or in centre mid, but playing full-back the way he wants is, I think, completely different to any other manager.
“To play full-back for him, you’ve got to be a centre mid, a centre-back, a winger, a No 10. So, it’s been about developing the whole of my game, rather than just as a full-back or a centre-back.”
That development has never been more obvious than the last couple of months. And the key thing is the demands on White — to be a centre-mid, centre-back, winger, no. 10 — chop and change within a matter of seconds on the field, let alone across games, yet he has been handling it without any issue at all.
Looking at heatmaps from a few recent fixtures and the changing demands of White are obvious. In a huge game against Liverpool he played a traditional role, mostly staying wide and supporting Bukayo Saka in the final third. Against West Ham he tucked inside more often, making up for the absence…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/03/tactics-column-swiss-army-white/
Author : Lewis Ambrose
Publish date : 2024-03-19 18:25:20
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