I get it. If I'd sat on here for the last few years and watched every declaration I'd made about certain players, the direction the club is going in and the manager get shat on one by one in the space of a few months I'd probably drag my feet on any point I feel is contentious enough to do so too.
I actually think Ben White has been a bit of a revelation this season (surprise surprise). He's not starting over Tomiyasu anymore because we're easing Tomi back, White is starting over him because he deserves to. He's giving us exactly what Tomi was last season and a lot of fans, and plenty on here on here, had Tomi down as not only our signing of the season but our best defender before his season got hit by injuries. Ben's locking up every player he comes up against, contributing massively to the control we have in games while also getting better and better going the other way with every game. The frequency and timing of his overlapping runs have been improved pretty significantly from his first outing at Selhurst. From memory the only foot he's put wrong all season was probably letting Justin James get a free header in the lead up to Saliba's own goal. I think he's been phenomenal and outside of Jesus and Saliba and is as responsible for our tremendous start as anyone else is.
If there's a gripe with White that I can understand, it's that people just prefer our outside backs to play differently to how Arteta wants them too, especially on the right side. He and Tomiyasu aren't there to run up and down the wing all game swinging in crosses and getting into the box, like Emery was expecting out of Kolasinac when he was running our entire offence through him. That's clearly not what they're being asked to do. We're as lucky to have both of them as options at right back as we are to have Tierney and Zinchenko on the left and also Saliba, Gabriel and White (again) at centre back. Our defence hasn't looked this good in years and years.
