Arsenal defender Ben White has explained why he rarely passes to teammate Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The talented duo both signed for the Gunners over the summer, with White signing from Brighton for a reported £50million in July before Tomiyasu arrived on deadline day for £17million from Italian outfit Bologna.
They have both been in imperious form for Mikel Arteta's side in recent times, helping their team climb from 20th in the Premier League table to fourth in the current standings.
Now, White has spoken about claims that he doesn't pass to the talented Japanese international, explaining that it is purely for tactical reasons.
Speaking to Goal Japan, he said: “I read the article about me not passing to Tomi(yasu). If you aren’t well-versed in football you might not understand, but opponents target passes to the right-back when they press.
"If I play a ball to Tomi, he’ll be targeted and it might lead to a situation where he as no options from there.
“It’s not that I simply do not want to pass to Tomi, but it is the best strategy to build up our play so that it leads to the final third.”
Tomiyasu himself spoke about White not passing to him, claiming that it merely proves the Englishman's quality on the ball.
"It is because Ben White is a good player. Often, passes from the centre back to the full-backs become 'pressure passes'.
"I play centre back too, and simple passes to the full-backs are actually the last option I consider.
"If the full-back is not under opposition pressure I will play the pass, but if the winger is right in front, you’ll end up caught by the press.
"So Ben White is a good player who doesn't play passes that put you under pressure."
