Mikel Arteta is taking Marcelo Bielsa's advice he gave the Gunners about Ben White, and it is a major reason why Arsenal are succeeding this season.
White has been the most used player Arteta this season, as he started a game in every competition that the Gunners have featured in this season.
Bielsa also utilised the English defender heavily when he was managing him at Leeds, as he played a major part in their promotion run during the 2019/2020 season.
With Arteta being able to use White on such a regular basis it has created a relationship in defence is why Arsenal looks much more comfortable when defending this season.
Before his breakthrough season with the Seagulls, White spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan at Leeds United. Under the guidance of Bielsa and the Englishman completed the full 90 minutes of every single Championship game, 46 in total, without picking up an injury.
He has followed the same trend at Arsenal, as he hasn’t suffered an injury this season and only missed two Premier League games at the start of the season due to COVID-19.
This has meant that he so far played the most minutes than any other Arsenal player so far this season (2,378) via Transfermarkt .
He has been a crucial part of a defence who has maintained 11 clean sheets this season, which is the third-most in the league, as they’re only behind the leaders in Liverpool and Manchester City.
White has come under huge amounts of pressure after signing for Arsenal in a £50m deal from Brighton & Hove Albion.
A record-breaking transfer fee for a defender at Arsenal, fans have been expecting him to be a catalyst for change in a backline that has been constantly criticised in recent years.
White and Gabriel Magalhaes are developing an excellent partnership at the heart of the defence, and the two players have created a foundation for Arteta’s rebuilding process that further proves Edu is getting his recruitment policy spot on.
Bielsa also played a big part in this as his decision to use him on such a frequent basis showed Arteta that he can trust White throughout the season without falling to fatigue, which has been a major problem for Arsenal in the past.
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