It was a disappointing weekend for Arsenal, but few would have felt it more than Ben White. The England international was hauled off with 10 minutes remaining after a below-par display in the defeat to Everton.
It's the second time in a row that White has been replaced after he was hooked at half time in the 3-2 victory over Manchester United. The 25-year-old has been a mainstay in Mikel Arteta's back line this season, but with Takehiro Tomiyasu in reserve, many are questioning whether it's time for a change to be made at right back.
With that in mind football.london's Arsenal writers Kaya Kaynak, Tashan Deniran-Alleyne and Tom Coley all got together to debate what the Gunners boss should do.
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Kaya Kaynak - Chief Arsenal writer
People forget that this is Ben White's first full season as a right back. Mikel Arteta's long-term plan may have been to move him out there, but making that transition is tough. That's why I think the criticism he's faced has been overblown massively.
Yes, he's had a poor couple of games, but two out of 20 ain't a bad record. I think it's a case of Arsenal losing and people feeling the need to find a scapegoat rather than any endemic problems.
A lot of the criticism of his display at Everton came from how often he gave the ball away, but Alex Zinchenko's pass completion rate was actually worse on the day (81% vs 84.6%). That's by no means me calling for the Ukraine international to be dropped, but it puts White's display in context.
Everyone had a bad vs Everton and I think it's a bit of an overreaction to start calling for change. White has been superb all season, so I trust him to turn it around.
Having said that Takehiro Tomiyasu is an excellent player and was my signing of the summer last season. If he comes into the backline I won't exactly be calling for Arteta's head. But before calling for any drastic changes I think we'd do well to remember the last five months Ben White has had in an Arsenal shirt instead of just the last two weeks.
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne - Arsenal writer
I look at it as Ben White being rested rather than being dropped, but yes, I think it's the perfect time for a bit of rotation, especially when factoring in the Manchester City game that's looming.
In truth, White is effectively a victim of his own high standards. He's been superb this season since moving out to right-back, performing well against the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Son Heung-min and it wasn't until after he had gone off against Brighton & Hove Albion that in-form winger Kaoru Mitoma started causing problems.
But in the past two games, it's no secret that he has struggled defensively and offensively. Hauled off at half-time against Manchester United as he couldn't cope with Marcus Rashford, then those trademark overlapping runs were almost non-existent at Everton and his passing wasn't up to par either.
It could be that White is simply just suffering a dip in form - which is perfectly understandable - but with Arsenal entering a period that might go a long way to defining the Premier League title race, they can't afford to carry any passengers.
Furthermore, the Gunners do have a reliable alternative in Takehiro Tomiyasu. After all, he was the first-choice right-back last season and it's been some effort from White to keep out the Japan international. To sum it up, it's not like the team will get any weaker with a tweak at right-back against Brentford.
Tom Coley - Trends writer
In a tough category, Ben White's season at fullback so far would surely have to be up there with the big individual successes of Arsenal's campaign so far. He, like everyone, is prone to dips in form and it has coincided with two tougher games than Mikel Arteta's men have been used to.
They had to battle incredibly hard against Manchester United and looked off it against Everton. Had his teammates been able to get the Gunners across the line on Saturday then the attention on White would be swept under the carpet. That isn't to say there isn't some cause for concern.
In Takehiro Tomiyasu there is also an able deputy and a home match against Brentford is the type of game that may suit this sort of change. Arteta, though a loyal man, is also extremely smart and will be able to weigh up his options. It's hard to see a change at right-back being too decisive in the overall perplection of the season too, making it a less risky choice to make should White drop out.
It's also worth noting that it has been a tough couple of months for White with the World Cup and then returning to England early. Taking him out of the limelight at this stage wouldn't be the worst decision and also shouldn't have any long-lasting effects.
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