Arena On Young vs Old Players: "If The Players Are Good Enough, They Play”
Arena On Young vs Old Players: "If The Players Are Good Enough, They Play”
Arena: "We are in a situation here in New England where we have a couple of good young players, and they can step on the field and help us win games.”
Bruce Arena’s policy about playing time is simple: “If the players are good enough, they play.”
Last weekend, the New England Revolution had three teenagers in the starting lineup as Noel Buck (17), Esmir Bajraktarevic (18), and Jack Panayotou (18) got the nod against D.C. United.
The decision to start the three teenage Homegrowns this weekend was made in part because other players were unavailable due to injuries and international duty, but the three midfielders performed well and will certainly give Arena something to think about when he’s developing his game plan.
For Arena, it’s all about who will gives the Revs the best chance to secure a positive result.
“My DNA as a coach isn’t playing older players, it's playing the best players we think can help us win a game,” Arena said when asked about young versus old players. “If it's young players, old players, in between, that's what it is, so we are in a situation here in New England where we have a couple of good young players, and they can step on the field and help us win games.”