Why Arsenal star Ben White can save England’s World Cup campaign

In England’s bid to save their World Cup campaign and progress to the group stage, Arsenal defender Ben White is their go-to.

When England announced Ben White was travelling to the World Cup, many fans were quick to question and criticise the Arsenal defender. But the truth is, this section of fans had not watched a single Arsenal game since last season. If they had watched any football this season, they would actually be confused why White isn’t starting for England.

Ben White has played all 14 of Arsenal’s Premier League games. During this time, Arsenal have kept a league-high 7 clean sheets. It is simply not possible to be top of the league, five points clear, if a player who has started every match is bad.

But is it not England’s defence which needs fixing – it is their attack. And this is exactly where Ben White comes into play. White is Arsenal’s most attacking defender, as he is constantly in the final third, bringing the ball forward and even running at attackers from time to time.

White is a revelation with the ball at his feet. Playing most of his football this season as a full-back, he is the perfect solution for England.

Now, this is where it gets difficult. It would be unfair for me to say bench Trippier or bench Shaw, as they were both very good against Iran. However, every player needs a rest and this was proven in the last England game, where Shaw and Trippier looked lethargic and did not help out at all from an attacking perspective.

In my opinion, for the Wales game, White should be in the starting XI and not Trippier. It just makes sense as it was proven against USA that Trippier does not understand Saka. Countless times, Saka was waiting for Trippier to overlap but the Newcastle man was not doing that. White is able to overlap, which will be a minor change that will make a major difference to England.

Give White a chance, and he will silence the haters.

What do you think should be England’s starting XI versus Wales?