ISAAN KHAN: Bournemouth had done their homework on Ben White’s black magic – but Arsenal didn’t need his shenanigans this time
- Ben White was a threat in the penalty area against Tottenham last week
- Bournemouth organized it well from the start against Arsenal on Saturday
- Kai Havertz’s mental strength is impressive… after a difficult start to the season, he has proven his worth – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
It’s these pesky dark arts deployed by Ben White that have drawn attention away from his playing ability in recent times.
As we saw against Tottenham last weekend, the Whites in the opponent’s penalty area on corners are a threat. That day, he played a part in two of Arsenal’s goals, appearing to attempt to undo goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s gloves before the ball reached the box for the first goal.
And then for the third goal, scored by Kai Havertz, he backed up on Vicario on the goal line to leave him standing there.
For this reason, Bournemouth had clearly done their homework. As Arsenal’s first two corners in this match showed, in the 10th minute a Cherries player prevented the Whites from reaching the goal line.
This prevented White from committing goal-line shenanigans, which Mail Sport columnist Graeme Souness previously described as “cheating”.
Ben White’s first touches caught the eye in Arsenal’s win over Bournemouth
Bournemouth had done their homework on White’s threat to attack set pieces
The right-back, in the second half, took different positions on a corner, including a touch from the near post in the 58th minute.
However, in light of the plaudits Arsenal received for their corner routines, it begs the question: what was the difference between Dominic Solanke’s struggle with David Raya in the build-up to Antoine Semenyo’s strike, which been refused, compared to what White does at the corners?
Not much, if at all. There needs to be a certain consistency.
Overall, White performed well but it’s a box of tricks, also showing that he doesn’t just have corners he has plans for. A few of his early touches caught the eye, catching the opposition off guard by quickly distributing the ball as Bournemouth prepared. Or the distance he could throw the ball, which was impressive.
The England international found other ways to impress in the 3-0 win at the Emirates.
White was caught undoing Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s gloves last week
It was Ryan Christie’s drive that attracted the most attention, with a high tackle on Bukayo Saka – his studs planted on the winger’s knee – escaping punishment. VAR deemed the challenge reckless but not dangerous. It was indeed controversial.
Following this, there were a few more strong tackles from Christie that came through. It was not until the 95th minute that he received a yellow card.
So White went under the radar. But nevertheless, it demanded the full attention of his opposition.
