Clues in the name "defender". Ben's skillset is primarily that of a "defender".
Though to indulge you slightly; the remit in any one game depends on the how the manger has set the team up to play...... If you think Ben was selected ahead of Reguilon for attacking reasons then you're a fool.
Funny how they outperformed us in terms of shots though isn't it..... Could it be that Jose had us set up in order to cope with the KIND of attacks that would come our way?????
To that ends, of course it doesn't mean that Ben isn't going to aim to contribute best he can when the situation arises though... Or would you prefer he just sat back and didn't get involved in the attack in the name of "no failed crosses" instead?
Bearing in mind that prior to scoring we barely registered a shot on target; more so than:
Kane (rated world class)
Son (rated elite)
Lucas (or Lamela)
Ndombele (rated top class/elite) (or GLC)
PEH (whom according to the lazy 'Burnely don't attack' narrative would have had fuck all defensive responsibility)
Sissoko (ditto)
?????
Load of old nonsense. You (and others) are just attacking the path of least resistance.
Even Doherty (a players cast as posing attacking threat), who to my recollection didn't manage a single laudable cross, is getting less criticism.
If Winks had have played in a DM role he'd had been criticised for lacking creativity by his haters too.