Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has now had his say on the clash that occurred between Arsenal stars Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko on Tuesday evening.
In the wake of Arsenal grinding out a 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko got into a heated altercation on the pitch.
The manner in which the Gunners’ conceded a sloppy late goal in the match was the cause of the coming together between White and Zinchenko. The England man felt that the Ukrainian left-back was at fault for the goal, as he had been playing Gonzalo Montiel onside before the Forest man was able to pick out Taiwo Awoniyi in the box, who then finished past David Raya.
Speaking to the media after the match, Mikel Arteta admitted that he was pleased to see his two players engage in such a demonstration, as he feels that it shows that they demand the highest standards of one another.
However, journalist Charles Watts did not agree that Zinchenko was to blame for the goal, and he feels that the former Manchester City man has become something of a “whipping boy” at the Emirates Stadium recently.
Gary Neville, though, was more taken aback by White’s behaviour, which he considered to be wildly out of character for the 26-year-old right-back.
Ben White reveals flash of demanding mentality
Discussing the incident with Arsenal legend Ian Wright on Stick to Football, Neville asked, “it’s not like Ben White, is it?”
Wright then replied, “I think it is like Ben White to say that. He is the player and has that look, he will tell you.”
To which Neville stated, “I didn’t think he was like that!”
It would be fair to characterise White as being somewhat humble, as the defender himself has admitted that he may well have gotten more games at Arsenal than his skill-level “deserved”. Though, he does himself a disservice with such comments, as his consistency and versatility have made him a crucial member of Arteta’s squad.
White has gotten to where he is in his career through hard work and setting high standards for himself. He clearly applies the same expectations to his teammates, and whether he was right to target Zinchenko or not, it was that mentality which was on display after the final whistle at the City Ground.
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