Owen Hargreaves has claimed that defensive duo Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White hardly ever have bad games for Arsenal.
The former England international added that the right-back spot was Arsenal’s ‘weak-link’ prior to Tomiyasu joining the club last summer.
The Japan international replaced Hector Bellerin on that right flank, with Cedric Soares playing a back-up role, before Ben White moved into that spot this season.
Since then, Tomiyasu has played on the left-side of defence, just like he did during Arsenal’s thumping 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
After previously struggling for quality performers at right-back, Mikel Arteta now has several players that are worthy of starting in that position on a regular basis.
But it’s White who is earning his flowers, at this moment in time, as Hargreaves spoke highly about the England World Cup hopeful and Tomiyasu, as he told Premier League Productions (29/10/22 at 1:50 pm).
“That was the weak-link before (right-back), wasn’t it?!” said Hargreaves. “But a guy like Tomiyasu, he doesn’t have a bad game. Ben White rarely has a bad game.
“Then you have someone like Saliba, who plays like he’s 29 and not in his early 20s, so the whole Arsenal team is performing.”
WHITE DESERVES ENGLAND CHANCE
It’s baffling that during the last international break – the final set of fixtures before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – Gareth Southgate opted to leave White at home.
Given Trent Alexander-Arnold’s form, Reece James and Kyle Walker’s injuries, then, it leaves Southgate short in that spot.
Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier might be the one selected to start against Iran for England’s World Cup opener, but White also needs to be on that plane.
Whether playing at right-back, centre-back or on the right-side of a back three, he can do the lot, but it would have been helpful had he been selected last time out.
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