Ben White interview: 'Not streetwise? I'm aggressive... I will do anything to win for Arsenal'

As Arsenal fight to win the Champions League and Premier League, it is perhaps just as well that they have a character like Ben White in their squad.

The defender is regarded as one of the most competitive players at the club and manager Mikel Arteta has described him as someone who “trains like he’s playing the Champions League final”.

For White, the reason behind such a mindset is simple - he wants to be the best at everything, no matter what’s at stake.

“It’s come from since I was young,” he tells a roundtable of journalists including Standard Sport. “I want to win everything that I do.

“I remember being young and always wanting to win and play aggressive and do as much as I could to win.

“My missus and I play a lot of games at home and I won’t be letting her win. We play bat and ball a lot, Uno, this magnet game...”

And what about if his wife, Milly, suddenly starts winning?

“Yeah... the ball gets lost,” says White, grinning.

White’s answer may be tongue in cheek but he has earned a reputation for being one of Arsenal’s most canny operators.

From the outside, he may be viewed differently given his sharp haircut and tan, but he is a fighter and one of Arsenal’s most streetwise players. On corners, he is charged with blocking the goalkeeper, while White has often gone viral on social media after games for clips showing him giving opposing players a trip or nudge off the ball.

“Some of the videos I have seen,” he reveals. “Maybe others don’t see it, but if I lost the runner or if I don’t do that, they will probably score. It comes back to doing anything to win.

“I know I’m not going to stop everyone and I know I’m not the best one-v-one defender, but I know I can do things to help the team in game situations against their winger.

“Every game, normally the winger is the best player so it’s always a challenge and I have to do my homework and try and stop him. There’s all sorts [happening at set-pieces], standing on your feet, elbows. It’s okay. I just have to stand in the way and see what happens.”

White is only 26, but he is one of the most senior players in a young Arsenal squad fighting on two fronts.

Ben White on the title race

The Gunners came so close to winning the Premier League title last season, but White believes he and his team-mates have matured since then as they prepare to go one better.

“I think the players we have added as well will step up in those big games and provide what we need,” he says.

“I think we have improved massively as a team and I think if we are in the same position this year, it will be very different.”

Arsenal led the way for 248 days last season, but this time they are chasers and currently sit third behind Liverpool and Manchester City. White, however, believes that can suit the Gunners young and hungry squad.

“We haven’t got anything, so there’s nothing to lose,” he says. “We are just going to go out there, do our best, and try and perform like we have the last few games.”

Arsenal have been troubled by injuries in defence this season, but White has been a regular and played through the pain barrier during December. He has recently been tasked with a new role in the team. Injuries at left-back have led to Jakub Kiwior playing and Arteta has flipped his system.

Instead of the left-back - usually Oleksandr Zinchenko or Takehiro Tomiyasu - tucking into midfield, White has been asked to do that from the opposite flank.

“I think when you have Mikel as your manager, it is quite easy and he makes it simple for you,” White says.

“There were just a lot of instructions of where I need to be, when I need to be there. I think most of the players could play in that position, because the key if you want to play for Arsenal is that you have got to be so technically-gifted, strong and fast. I think most of the players could do it.

“I am comfortable playing in there, but there are completely different things to look at. Like for me, playing centre-back and right-back, I only have to look forward - I never worry about what is behind me. This [role] is a completely different part of the game.”

Even with a new role to learn, and the pressure of a title race to contend with, White seems unfazed.

Much of that is down to his ability to switch off and think about something other than football.

“That’s one of the best things I’m able to do – I know people say I don’t like football, but I go home and football is not on my mind,” he says. “I can just be a normal person, relax.

“When I’m in here [at training] it is intense.”