Arsenal defender Ben White has now opened up about one of the key new challenges that he and his teammates are facing this season.
Along with the rest of the Arsenal back four, Ben White is on a crash course in Champions League defending this season.
The Gunners currently face a huge task in this season’s iteration of Europe’s premier club competition, as they lost in the first-leg of their round of 16 clash with Porto. Mikel Arteta’s side were far from their best when they went to the Estadio do Dragao, and were punished in the final seconds of that match, as Galeno’s long-range strike secured a 1-0 win for the hosts.
Arsenal fans pinned the blame for that goal on David Raya, but Arsenal switched off as a defensive unit as a whole. Gabriel Martinelli was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply, and then no Arsenal player was able to effectively close down Galeno’s effort.
In Premier League terms, Arsenal have reigned supreme as a defensive force. However, beyond even giving up this late goal, they looked far less assured than usual in their first meeting with Porto.
Arsenal will welcome the Portuguese outfit to the Emirates Stadium for the second-leg of this knockout tie on March 12th. They will still fancy their chances of being able to turn the aggregate scoreline around and secure progress to the quarter-finals stage of the competition. In order to do that, though, they will need to produce a far more defensively solid display.
Ben White admits Arsenal must change Champions League mentality
White has now issued a warning to his teammates about how they need to adapt to the unique nature of Champions League football. As quoted by The Mirror, the right-back said, “Champions League games are always tough. You go over there and you have seen the amount of fouls and stuff that is happening…I think most of them were on me.”
“But it is kind of like different rules when you play in the Champions League: it’s a lot softer, you can’t make any tackles because you are going to give a foul away. I think we can probably be more streetwise and it is a new experience for us. It’s one we learn from and take into the next game.”
If the first-leg of this encounter is anything to go on, referees will be quick to blow their whistle in Champions League clashes. Arsenal were punished for committing a huge number of fouls against Porto in the first-leg. Their opponents were able to make use of this, as even Arteta admitted that the Porto players were seeking to go to ground at any opportunity.
The north London club must adapt their style of play to account for this. If they have to be less robustly physical, or more willing to go to ground themselves, in an effort to gain an advantage, then that is what they must do.
For now, though, full focus will be on their Premier League duties, as the pressure is now on Arsenal to keep up their pace in the title race when they take on Sheffield United on Monday evening.
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