Mikel Arteta uses deep meditation or a good book to escape from the intensity of the title race but things are much simpler for Ben White. “That’s one of the best things I’m able to do,” the Arsenal defender says. “I know people say I don’t like football, but I go home and football is not on my mind. I can just be a normal person, relax. When I’m in here it is intense.”
So rather than watching Manchester City and Liverpool this weekend before Arsenal enter the fray again on Monday night at Sheffield United, White is more likely to get away from it all with a game of bat and ball or Uno against his wife. Just don’t expect him to make it easy for her.
“It’s come from since I was young,” White says of Arteta’s assertion in the Amazon All or Nothing documentary that the defender trains every day as if he’s playing in the Champions League final. “I want to win everything that I do. My missus and I play a lot of games at home and I won’t be letting her win. I remember being young and always wanting to play aggressively and do as much as I could to win.”
White caused widespread disbelief when he revealed that he “never watched football when I was younger and still don’t now” but that doesn’t mean he’s not a student of the game. The softly spoken defender from Dorset, who was released by Southampton at 16 before joining Brighton, has adapted brilliantly to a new position as an inverted full-back under Arteta in the Premier League’s meanest defence, and has racked up almost 100 appearances since joining in 2021 for £50m. But White plays down his role in the transformation and praises his manager’s influence.
“It wasn’t really a conversation – there were just a lot of instructions of where I need to be, when I need to be there,” he says. “When you have Mikel as your manager it is quite easy as he makes it simple for you. I think most of the players could play in that position, because the key if you want to play for Arsenal is that you have got to be so technically gifted, strong and fast. Most of the players could do it.”
White thrived in midfield at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa on loan from Brighton and was signed as a central defender by Arsenal before being switched to right-back at the start of last season.
“It is very different, two different managers,” he says. “There is a lot more that gets asked of you for Mikel. I am comfortable playing there, but there are completely different things to look at. Like for me, playing centre-back and right-back, I only have to look forward – I never worry about what is behind me. This is a completely different part of the game.”
White has also relished his role from corners that essentially involves blocking the goalkeeper in an attempt to stop them from claiming the ball – a tactic that has helped Arsenal rack up 13 goals and become a hit on social media.
“There’s all sorts, standing on your feet, elbows,” he says. “It’s OK. I just have to stand in the way and see what happens. Some of the videos I have seen … It comes back to doing anything to win.”
Arsenal have been in blistering form since a midseason break in Dubai, scoring 25 goals in winning the past six Premier League matches to reignite their title challenge. The only blemish was defeat at Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and White admits Arsenal’s young squad must become more “streetwise” in Europe after the game was decided by a late goal.
“I think so. The Champions League games are always tough. You go over there and you have seen the amount of fouls and stuff that is happening … I think most of them were on me. But it is kind of like different rules when you play in the Champions League: it’s a lot softer, you can’t make any tackles because you are going to give a foul away. I think we can probably be more streetwise and it is a new experience for us. It’s one we learn from and take into the next game.”
White is something of an elder statesman in a side with an average age of less than 25 – the third youngest in the division – and says he is enjoying the responsibility. “We were actually talking about ages the other day and I am one of the oldest at 26. I think it is so important to be there, which is what I have done. I am there every week.”
Arsenal were top for 248 days last season before City surged to a third straight title and have spent most of this campaign in the chasing pack. Yet White insists that suits them and is confident the squad has learned a great deal from last year’s disappointment.
“Maybe looking after the little things when there is so much big talk of everything. Controlling what we do, the little things, personally that is so important for me – because the little things, they add up and they add up. It’s so tight, any small mistake is going to be punished.
“There is nothing to lose. We are just going to go out there, do our best and try to perform like we have the last few games. I think the players we have added as well will step up in those big games and provide what we need in those games. We have improved massively as a team and if we were in the same position this year, I think it would be very different.”
