Could Ben White return stabilize Arsenal's mentality?

Arsenal finally saw the return of Ben White against West Ham, but could the defender's inclusion in the starting XI help stabilize the mentality of Mikel Arteta's team?

There was a lot wrong with Arsenal's 1-0 loss at home to West Ham that nearly killed off its Premier League title hopes before Liverpool did exactly that 24 hours later.

There was no attacking fluidity, and the creative juices were not flowing, as the Gunners, while having 20 shots on the Hammers' goal, only registered two on target.

With Liverpool emphatically dispatching Manchester City 2-0 to go 11 points clear with a game in hand, how the Gunners now approach the final 12 league games will be an interesting watch.

But there might be one player who could help, and while yes, it will be on the pitch, but also above the shoulders for Arteta's team.

Could Ben White's return be a mentality boost for Arsenal?

White came on late as a substitute against West Ham and went agonizingly close to an equalizer with his thunderous shot just missing the upright.

But while there is doom and gloom around the club right now, the return of White could be a useful pick-me-up for Arsenal, and it even showed in Martin Odegaard's post-game comments.

“It’s great to have him back,” Odegaard said via arsenal.com. “He’s been out for a while and you could see straight away the quality he brings. That was the good news today but at the moment we’re disappointed, but it’s good to have him back.”

So it is there where a small amount of hope resides.

Yes, it is hard to find it right now, but the return of a teammate after such a long time on the sidelines can have a hugely beneficial impact on a squad, and boy, do Arsenal need it right now.

Are we perhaps reading too much into it? Possibly. But 11 points behind the league leaders with 12 games left, the Gunners need something to hold on to.

While White's return won't have the same impact on the field as Bukayo Saka or Gabriel Martinelli, but defensively, it could work in Arsenal's favor. Although it does feel a little too late to seriously change the trajectory of the team.

But 12 games is still a lot of football that has to be navigated, and right now, Arsenal need to claw for anything positive to keep itself moving forward - and that just might be White's return to the starting side.

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