Mikel Arteta has seemingly ‘blamed’ the ball as part of the reason Arsenal lost 2-0 to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates on Tuesday.
Arteta, 42, was dissatisfied with his team’s performance, which has left them in a challenging position ahead of the second leg at St James’ Park on February 5.
Alexander Isak’s goal in the 37th minute put Newcastle in the lead, and Anthony Gordon’s strike in the 51st minute doubled their advantage, much to the joy of the traveling supporters.
Despite taking 23 shots, Arsenal only managed three on target, with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the post and both William Saliba and Kai Havertz missing clear scoring chances.
In his post-match press conference, Arteta mentioned that the Carabao Cup ball can be “tricky,” suggesting this might have contributed to Arsenal’s lack of finishing accuracy. “We kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky because these balls fly a lot, so there are details we can improve,” he stated.
At the end, it’s over – there’s no turning back, and it’s all about the next match. That’s the reality we face.
“It’s only half-time. Watching the team play and how we handle different situations against a strong opponent, I truly believe we can go out there and achieve it.”
The ball used in this competition is made by Puma, while the Premier League ball comes from Nike.
“It’s just different,” Arteta said when asked to explain his thoughts on the ball.
“It’s very unlike the Premier League ball, and you have to adjust because it behaves differently.”
“When you strike it, the grip is also quite different, so you need to adapt.”
On Sunday, Arsenal will face Manchester United at the Emirates in the third round of the FA Cup. Once again, they’ll have to adjust to a different ball, as the competition uses the Mitre Ultimax Pro ball. Arteta will likely focus on getting his players comfortable with it in the coming days.
