GS even admitted in his interview that BW might face a backlash. So what if he is repeatedly being asked questions?Just bat them way, as long as his bosses know there is an issue there, then it not a problem for him, the questions around BW will disappear as other situations arise. BW is getting the stick for being weak willed, what about GS in this situation?
He was given a list of questions that journalists were going to ask him, one of which, yet again, was about why Ben White wasn't in the squad.
In previous squads, he could just point to other options like Trippier, James and Alexander-Arnold and say that there were other options ahead of him.
This time the only right back in the squad was Kyle Walker and there was no way of avoiding the question without getting stick or coming across as dishonest.
All the while, there have been articles doing the rounds that an argument with Steve Holland, Southgate's assistant of 11 years, is the reason he wasn't being picked.
He then notified Arsenal that he was going to be truthful about why Ben White wasn't in the squad, and I'm sure Ben White will have been informed by Arsenal.
He then gave a decent and honest answer, without placing any blame on White himself, acknowledged that he wasn't the first or only player to have made himself unavailable for selection and said he wanted him in the squad and that the door is always open to him, whilst denying reports that Steve Holland was the problem.
What's weak willed about that?
He couldn't just blank the question, and "I can't discuss why Ben White isn't in the squad" would make things seem far worse than the truth.
The reason Ben White has been opened up to criticism is because he's put himself in a situation where it's reasonable to criticise him.