Ben White Reminisces On Brentford Debut Criticism: Pundits’ Opinions Are Rubbish, Sometimes

Ben White opens up on criticism he received following his debut…

Ben White has, for the first time, openly spoken about the bizarre wave of criticism he received following his Arsenal debut at Brentford on the opening game of last season, The Guardian reports.

White, who joined us from Brighton for £50m in the summer of 2021, lined up alongside a makeshift team suffering from a covid crisis as we succumbed to a 2-0 defeat.

Despite not getting on the scoresheet, the narrative was that White was ‘bullied’ by Ivan Toney on the night and that he would now be a target.

That narrative was created by Sky’s Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher who decided to do a segment on the former Leeds man in their post-match analysis which seemed pre-determined.

White didn’t let that affect him and returned stronger, producing solid display for the entire last season. However, it seems like the England international is only now getting some sort of recognition following unfair criticism.

“Looking back at Brentford, I did not actually do that badly,” White was quoted as saying while in Qatar.

“I won half the duels and people said I got bullied. It is an opinion and they change a lot.

“It is always like that and they [the pundits] are paid for an opinion. Sometimes it is rubbish.”

“Rubbish” is probably a generous way to describe the comments that night from two ex-players who should know better. It’s a testament to White’s mental strength that he shrugged that off and continued to work.

Our trip to Brentford in September seemed like a symbolic moment, with the team putting on a dominant display with White shining in a 3-0 win.

White is currently away with the England squad in Qatar and with Kyle Walker ruled out of the opening game against Iran, one wonders if he’s handed a start.