Mikel Arteta has insisted that playing “eleven kids is impossible” as he hopes to strike the right balance for his Arsenal squad.
After a poor starting to the season, Arsenal’s form has picked up of late. They were seven games without a victory in the Premier League which left them down in 15th.
But this run came to an end via a impressive 3-1 win over London rivals Chelsea. They followed that up with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brighton on Tuesday night.
Johnny Nic: One person at every Premier League club who made 2020 less bad
These victories have moved the Gunners up to 13th and they are now nine points adrift of Everton in fourth place.
Throughout their poor run, some were lobbying for Arteta to play more youngsters in the league after they had shone in the Europa League.
Arteta obliged against Cehslea as Bukayo Sake, Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli all started. The trio impressed and they all made the starting XI again against Brighton.
In an interview cited by Arseblog, Arteta suggested that it is vital for Arsenal to have the right amount of experience and youth in their first-team:
“We know that our club has a history of bringing players through the academy and it’s in our DNA.
“We want to keep doing it and I think I’ve done it since the day I came through that door, but they need the right process, they need the right players around them and you have to respect the timing of their development.
“There is nothing worse than rushing those players when they are not ready. If they are ready and they respond, then keep doing it.
“You don’t have to hold them back because you know their energy, their passion and what they want to do. They can run and sprint and do whatever they want, but they need experience as well.
“Eleven kids is impossible. When you have the right mixture then these kids start to become more senior players and they start to have a little bit more experience and they are in a good development phase, let’s go for it.
“But you have to be cautious as well.”