Arsenal fans are growing increasingly frustrated with Mikel Arteta following his bizarre excuse for their 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Newcastle United at the Emirates last night.
The Gunners’ manager, already under scrutiny this season, has once again found himself at the centre of criticism as fans struggle to identify tangible progress in his team’s performances. Arsenal entered this season with high hopes, particularly in the domestic cup competitions, where they viewed the Carabao Cup as a realistic opportunity to end their prolonged trophy drought.
Reaching the semi-final was seen as a promising step forward, and avoiding Liverpool in the draw seemed to offer a favourable path to the final. However, those aspirations took a major hit after Newcastle delivered a commanding performance in North London, exposing Arsenal’s weaknesses when it mattered most.
The Gunners were outplayed in key moments, with Newcastle looking far more composed and clinical. While there remains a second leg at St. James’ Park, Arsenal’s confidence appears to be at an all-time low.
Adding insult to injury, Arteta’s post-match comments have done little to ease the fans’ discontent. The Spaniard inexplicably chose to blame the match ball, suggesting it was a factor in Arsenal’s defeat. He said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:
“We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot, so there are details that we can do better.”
Pressed further on the matter, he elaborated:
“No, it’s just different. It’s very different to the Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that. It flies differently… when you touch it, the grip is very different as well, so you have to adapt to that.”
Unsurprisingly, these comments have sparked a wave of backlash from the Arsenal faithful. According to Football Insider, many fans were embarrassed by Arteta’s remarks, with some even calling for his immediate dismissal. For them, blaming the ball – which was used by both teams under the same conditions – reflects poorly on Arteta’s ability to take accountability for the team’s shortcomings.
One fan on social media branded the excuse as “pathetic,” while others questioned the manager’s leadership and tactical approach. The mood is grim, with many supporters doubting the team’s ability to overturn the deficit in the second leg unless drastic improvements are made.
This defeat has amplified broader concerns about Arteta’s tenure. Despite sporadic signs of progress, Arsenal’s inconsistency and lack of identity in critical moments continue to frustrate fans. A trophy this season could have provided validation for Arteta’s project, but the Carabao Cup now hangs in the balance, and their league campaign is not meeting expectations either.
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It’s been evident for a while now that Arteta has run out of any idea to take Arsenal forward
A few fans on JA are going to run with this when the rest of their excuses have ran dry .
The ball is made equally for both teams. Why not it flies up when Isaac scored it?
It is still the usual lack of a clinical striker in the team that has to be seriously considered by Arteta ( than the continuity of repetitive silly excuses). January is the must-to-buy period of buying buying effective players (and dropping these never-improving players with poor goal scoring qualities (than “buying” unreasonable excuses from each game.)
He must be wondering why he said that. Not the brightest thing to have done when the team couldn’t make anything of the chances they made count
All it does is pour fuel on the fire
This is just a lot of noise so that people can have a go at Arteta.
Since we lost the game anything he says will be blown up out proportion and turned into a talking point.
Come on David,
You say anything he says will be blown out of proportion.
When the Manager of Arsenal blames the ball for their wastefulness, in what way is that blowing anything out of proportion.
To say such a thing as Arteta has said, is quite frankly embarrassing.
When will he start being accountable for the teams performances.
👏😂
David will definitely get some mileage out of this ball excuse
David, David, David David, the voice unreason. It was a truly terrible comment. And makes him look even sillier. And so do those that try to defend it.
Well that is true of course, but surely you or Arteta himself at least, can see that appearing to blame the ball – when Newcastle played with it as well – doesn’t endear him to the fan base. That was the reason behind my last sentence. Saying absolutely nothing by way of an excuse for poor finishing would have been a far better course of action
And Sue, we played with it in the previous rounds. Are the cracks showing?
Reggie,
Are there cracks in the ball, no wonder we can’t play with it. Arteta was right all along🤣😂😉👍.
Reggie,
I do think that Arteta is feeling the pressure. What I find worrying is the trend to bash him at the slightest opportunity, so yes he must be feeling it. I can understand the disappointment etc when more was expected. I am in the Alanball08 camp. I can see the faults, but have a realistic expectation about competing in a league where there are other teams that are also pretty good. Let’s see what the end of the season brings.
The complaints are repetitive and constant. All those who kept their collective gobs shut when the going was pretty good, have come out in force with the sorts of personal comments that I have come to expect. It doesn’t engender decent debate does it?
SueP,
Keeping my gob shut is definitely something you can’t accuse me of I think you’ll agree.
You say that Arteta is starting to feel the pressure. And so he should SueP. When you start blaming the ball, you don’t leave yourself much wiggle room concerning excuses do you. Because lets face it, that quote will take some beating. Something that Arteta is no doubt working on.
I’m sorry SueP, but he needs to be held accountable. With his pragmatic approach, its far to easy for the opposition to get back in their shape, and all this passing from side to side without intent drives me around the bend TBH.
So as you know, I’m one of his biggest critics. Something I will not apologize for. The team is failing, and Its not a kneejerk reaction to last nights result either. This pragmatic football was always going to catch up with us sooner or later.
If we fail to beat UTD on Sunday, the stick he’s getting now, will feel like a tea dance to what’s coming.
You will be surprised to learn, Derek, that I wasn’t referring to you as your history on JA has been recent unless you have previously been using a nom de plume
He should obviously be held to account for what happens on the pitch. I haven’t defended the ball fiasco because it was ill considered regardless of David’s view. It was never going to end well and has had the unintended effect of bringing another load of sh*t on his head.
There are actually people who largely support the achievements of Arteta. We are going through a tough period but is it really necessary to keep banging on about the same thing over and over again, morning, noon and night? While you and others are happy to chat amongst yourselves on the subject that is nearest to your hearts, I would rather hold fire and wait until the end of the season and review it all then.
Sadly SueP,
Our season will have been well and truly over by then.
Let’s hope when he goes ,his fan club go away with him Derek .
Dan Kit,
You mean that Arteta has a fan club, I’ve never noticed. Thanks for the heads up.😂😉👍🙄🤦♂️
Just be careful ,this one as previous of getting fans banned .
Sad I know but that’s the world we live when it comes to the Arteta fan (creep ) club .
And what if he stays? Your nightmare continue I guess LoL
If that is the case then so be it.
To be fair Sue you will agree I don’t keep mouth shut when things are going well
I often point out that fans have got carried away with priase for a manager and player who have done little
Eg , style of football and the amount of players he gives up on
It’s the manner and repetitiveness that’s boring
David your getting hung out to dry buddy .
Sh1tty IMO ,atleast your Arteta group could do is stick by you .
I don’t agree with this interpretation that he was blaming the ball. He indicated that the Arsenal players did not adapt well enough. That’s all there is to it. It is also not unusual for there to be differences between balls made by different companies.
David,
A point that’s already been made is that the team could have practiced with the ball before hand.
The same ball wasn’t a problem in the previous three rounds was it.
Stop making excuses for Arteta, and make him accountable for the pragmatic way in which the team has been playing this season.
David, it should not have been said. Its the ball that every team uses. How many others have blamed the ball, when they have lost. Name them. I think there have been something like 80 games and only Arsenal blame the ball when they lose.
Neither Arsenal nor Arteta blamed the ball.
Yes he did. He said the ball wasxa contributing factor to why the shots were off target. David, you are embarrassing yourself.
Really embarrassing himself at this point .
What he said was that Arsenal didn’t adapt well enough. There’s a difference between he said and “blaming” the ball.
There are nuances to language which you would do well to understand.
Head bury sand David. The only one making nuances is you. And your credibility is dropping like a stone.
Like you didn’t understand that corruption can mean different things eh David?!
A corrupt individual say a Mr Oliver and / or an individual Mr Oliver corrupting the system.
Did Mikel Arteta get anything wrong last night, or did he get everything right?
No David,
The word your looking for is bull…….. fans.
Something that Arteta is very good at.
And it seems you are only to willing to listen to his Bull…..🙄🤦♂️
Asked again about the ball, Arteta added: “It’s just different, it’s just very different to the Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different
Good one David ,so he did t blame the ball then ,or your interpretation form what he said will be different like always .
Fck me 😂😂😂😂
Like I said , David 😂
Not taking sides here, but my understanding is that Puma makes both Premier League and League cup balls.
Correction. NOT both Puma balls.
He’s not using the ball as an excuse for the defeat he only used it to answer a question on the players poor finishing.
Except you don’t read the full report this shouldn’t be confusing….
So Chronicle, did the players not train with the appropriate ball and, if not, why not?
It seems that the Newcastle players had no difficulties with it, as we hadn’t in previous rounds?
I read the report fully and it still sounds crazy to me! /
Arteta has run out of ideas and CANNOT inspire a team, whose confidence has run out with the tap water.
How times and circumstances change! The Carabao trophy has suddenly assumed life-size importance in our football psyche.
This is a trophy that was so “insignificant” Arsene Wenger used to prosecute it with academy players who were always lucky if they went beyond the early rounds.
Sorry Mr Arteta; that’s your “punishment” for letting the PL title slip through your inexperienced fingers twice consecutively. If you had won even one of those, trophy-hungry Arsenal fans would have been a wee bit kinder on you.
Now you are going to miss out on all the available trophies and the mere sight of you would irritate us, more so when you make such “unpardonable” excuse of blaming the texture of the football for your team’s poor performance.
Sorry, but that’s why you get paid such huge wages!
CorporateMan,
Here’s some stats regarding Arsene Wenger’s record in the League Cup.
Quarter Finalists: 7 times.
Semi Finalists: 4 times.
Finalists: 2 times.
Total games played under him in League Cup:
Played 73 Won 45 Drew 4 Lost 24
Not such a bad record for a man who according to you.
Used to prosecute it with academy players who were always lucky if they went beyond the early rounds. (Your Quote, not mine).😉👍
Derek, so in 22 years as manager he failed to win it.
Hammered in the 2nd Leg of ’08 semi final 5-1 in N17.
Knocked out in the quarter final in ’12 by Bradford City, who were in the bottom division.
Knocked out in ’15 by Sheffield Wednesday, who were in the Championship, 3-0.
Beaten in a final by a team that were relegated.
Terrible record really.
Herr Drier,
The point I was making was that CorperateMan,
said in his peace about Wenger using a lot of the academy players in the league cup.
From that point of view, the record is not bad.
You conveniently leave out the final where Walcott scored his first competitive goal in Arsenal colours against Chelsea. A game that Wenger stayed true to his word of playing a lot of the academy players alongside more experienced ones.
And for an hour Diaby along with the academy players, played Chelsea of the park. But then our nemesis turned up and decided to turn the game, and Chelsea won it 2-1.
And just a footnote to that final, it shows you how unfortunate Diaby was with injury’s. In that game he was superb, but then he went in with a challenge with John Terry. Diaby kicked him full in the face, now you’d think that Terry would have had to go off injured.
No, you’ve guessed it. Diaby injured himself in kicking Terry in the head and had to go off injured. And Terry completed the game.
Typical miss fortune for Diaby, he could pick up an injury with a twisted sock he was that unfortunate.
Derek, you conveniently leave out that it was 1st team squad players that played from the quarter finals onwards.
Walcott wasn’t an academy player of ours, he came through the Southampton academy, after they bought him from Yeovil.
Regarding Diaby, yes he did have a good game in that final. As you say, he went off injured, no surprise really, considering he was injury prone while at Auxerre. During his 2 seasons there he could only manage a handful of games each season, the rest of the time he was in the treatment room. That’s why they sold him.
Herr Drier,
I didn’t claim that Walcott was an academy player. I just noted that he scored his first competitive goal for us that day.
As for Diaby, he was never the same player after a certain Sunderland player decided to both break and dislocate his ankle in the dying minutes of a game that we were winning 3-0 at the time. A completely unnecessary filthy challenge at the time.
From that moment on, Diaby
From that moment on, Diaby was never the same player sadly. (Sorry about that, I don’t know what happened there. I must have had a brain freeze🤦♂️).
Herr Drier,
While the team that day had some experience, and I know that some of them were not strictly academy players.
The team did have players like,
Armand Traore 17 years old.
Justin Hoyte 22 years old.
Denilson 19 years old.
Aliadiere 23 years old.
Diaby 20 years old.
Fabregas 19 years old.
Substitute Djourou 20 years old.
I believe that under the current rules back then, and with them being young, they were classed as home grown players.
Apologies in advance, If I’ve got this wrong.😉👍
As I life long fan HD you certainly show your colours regarding Wenger and Arteta,which I find strange mate .
Obviously Wenger upset you (me the same )(massive Wenger out myself )can I ask what Arteta as done to give him so much defensive talk over Wenger ?
It’s strange one as you back a manager with one cup and spending so much money but slag off the other who pretty much brought us into the 21 century and put our name back into the conversation.
Like i said I wanted Wenger gone and Emery,so I have no agenda regarding pep lite .
You and a few others seem to have one .
DK, all I was doing was setting the record straight about Wenger’s record in the League Cup.
As for why I’m a bit more defensive about Mikel, he’s only been a manager for just over 4 years, where as Wenger was a manager for 12 years before he joined us. So, for me, he was far more experienced. If after 2/3 more years there are no trophies, I will be calling Mikel out.
Derek, he got to 3 finals, not 2. Chelsea, Birmingham and Man City were the opponents.
Herr Drier,
My bad, I stand corrected.
2007: Lost to Chelsea 2-1
2011: Lost to Birmingham City 2-1
2018: Lost to Manchester City 3-0
😉👍
Where I sit at Arsenal, there are comments from fans around me starting to happen, with Arteta, the fact he has five years, has spent over 700 million, doesn’t seem to know what style he wants the team to play, last two seasons we have played some great football only to fall short, this season, the time wasting, slow defensive style simply isn’t working. I want Arteta to succeed, but I for one do not understand his constant moaning and what direction he wants the team to go.
They practice with that ball before the match, much the same as Chelsea is now for their upcoming match. It’s not like all of a sudden they play with a new ball at the last minute.
Bit dishonest to blame the ball, and leave out the fact you had an opportunity to train with that type ball before the match.
So we’ve moved past blaming refs to blaming the ball now.
So the ball is the problem, not the setup, style of play, or the tactics?
We scored 11 goals with the same ball in the previous rounds .
He’s clutching at straws .
Maybe the PGMOL put helium in these.
Reggie,
Well I did see a couple of the PGMOL talking in a high pitched voice after the game.😂🤣😉👍
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Here’s the thing.
Any professional knows that the balls are not the same. Therefore, you need to adapt and sometimes that doesn’t work out as well as you would like. How is that dishonest?
There is not that much wrong with a setup that ends with an xG of over 3. What that suggests is a lack of precision or efficiency in taking chances.
You’re flogging a dead horse David. He did say that the ball flies differently and he also said that the players have to adapt. But it doesn’t alter the fact that having read part of the interview, Arteta shouldn’t have brought the subject up at all. It gave the wrong impression and this is what has been widely picked up as being a lame excuse for a disappointing result. It’s become a big deal when he had the chance to say nothing for the media to latch on to. He scored an own goal imo
SueP,
I agree that he scored an own goal. The problem is the press ask leading questions, and he fell for it hook line and sinker.
But I will say, whether the ball flies differently or not, having scored 11 goals in the previous three rounds with the same ball. We were quite enjoying how the ball was flying in those games weren’t we.
As you say, he scored a serious own goal there.
But lets be honest, It’s not the first statement that Arteta has made, that makes both him and the club look stupid. 🙄🤦♂️
Derek
Hopefully Arteta will learn from it. However, I think most managers make twits of themselves from time to time in front of the media. Some will say they make twits of themselves with team selections and tactics. What Arteta shouldn’t be doing is giving out free ammunition which as you say can make him and the club look half sharp
Oh freaking please give me an option to block this Arteta apologist bot already! There has to be some way to not see his posts besides not coming to this site.
It’s dishonest in the way the word is loosely used here because when we were winning and scoring comfortably, MA didn’t say we kicked a lot of the balls into goal because it is tricky: this ball flies a lot. The goals we scored went in because it is just different, very different to the Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently. We adapted to the ball well and that’s why we scored 11 goals in 3 games.
Once the tide turns, he comes out with his load of crap as if it’s the first time we are playing with this ball and the opposition don’t face the same issues with the ball. The fact that no other manager of a losing team in this competition playing with this ball tried to use the ball to explain their teams misfiring speaks volumes
why don’t you take your own advice and bugger off then?
There is nothing dishonest about what Arteta said. The only issue is that it has become a talking point. Whether any other manager mentions it or not doesn’t really tell us anything.
At the highest levels certain differences in the balls can have some impact on how you play the game. What is interesting is that these effects are noticed more by more technical players. This does not mean that you can’t win with different balls but it is a factor to take into consideration when preparing for a game.
It is unfortunate that instead of engaging reasonably you want to block discourse.
David,
Its not about blocking disclosure, its about blocking absolute denial on your part.
The effects are noticed more by the technical players. What are you talking about, this the same ball that they played with in the previous three rounds, the technical players didn’t have a problem then did they.
I can see why you would get on with Arteta, the reason being that like him, you to talk a load of drivel. 🙄🤦♂️
David, from the sounds of things, it seems that MA DIDN’T take the issue of the ball into consideration until AFTER the game then!
As Derek said, this issue wasn’t raised in previous rounds, so why now?
Ken1945
I wrote to Reggie that Arteta must be feeling the pressure. He will only be too well aware that there is an expectation from the fan base that a trophy of more importance than the Community Shield is required.
I agree SueP, but if we finish in a CL place once again under MA, would you class that as a failed season for the club?
I always judged AW by his managerial skills in keeping us in that elite competition for all but his final two seasons, one of which he won the fa cup in and missed out on the CL by one point.
With that in mind, why would / could I judge MA differently?
As a4 supporter, I can’t really demand anything, because I know I’ll be there next season, whatever the outcome is this season.
Crazy really isn’t it?!
It is!
Sean Dyche is now available if the Board have had enough of sideways passing 😂
CL keeps the money rolling in and makes the club more appealing to ambitious players. I’d call it a disappointing season when there has been so much of the last 2 seasons to be pleased about. I read a post of yours earlier where you described the 4 decisions and our injuries. I feel the side hasn’t had a chance to settle and it’s a shame that so much negativity has resurfaced. I’m not sure that it helps if the players and coaches get wind of it. He’s still in his managerial youth and has shown faults but also has shown his good side – we are still in it after all. Plus GD and in CL places. May is still a few months away
SueP,
Maybe we could do a swap. Dyche to Arsenal and Arteta to Everton.
😂🤣😉👍
😳
Durand and Dan Kit,
Some of the things that are coming out of Arteta’s mouth is starting to make the club a bit of a laughing stock for opposition fans.
Now while I’m not bothered what they think on the whole what I will say is, to hear our manager claim the Community Shield’s to be trophy’s, and then to blame the ball for our wastefulness in front of goal.
As a fan, are you like me embarrassed by our clubs manager making such statements.
Arteta as a former player says that he knows what an honour it is for him to manage the team he once played for, well you wouldn’t believe it with the way he’s managing the club.
As you know, I’m one of his biggest critics on this forum, something that I’m castigated for on many occasions.
But seeing the way the club is being run, and the comments coming from Arteta, I’m both a little embarrassed and sad to see what’s happening at the club. 🙄🤦♂️
I’m embarrassed for differing reasons though Derek.
It seems that the letter D brings out the two sides of our fanbase.
D(avid) wearing blinkers regarding Mikel Arteta and the mistakes he’s making.
D(erek) wearing blinkers regarding Mikel Arteta and the improvements he’s made.
(H)D wearing blinkers when it comes to acknowledging anything that Arsene Wenger
achieved since 2008.
D(K) wearing blinkers when it comes to acknowledging anything either AW, in his last few seasons, or MA, in these last two and a bit seasons, have achieved.
D(Durand) seems to be the only “D” taking an unbiased view of the situation, while giving sound reasonings for his concerns.
I seem to remember the teacher sending people to a corner, wearing a hat with “D” on it 🎩🎩🎩🎩 and, as the saying goes “If the cap fits, wear it!!!!
Arteta got it wrong against Newcastle, his excuse is nonsense, it’s only half time and what Wenger did or didn’t achieve has nothing to do with last night whatsoever.
We are playing awful football since Rice was sent off, four refereeing decisions against us that will never be repeated again, our injury list this season is awful and my opinion is that our manager has to take the blame for some ridiculous decisions…. we’re second in the PL, practically through to the next set of fixtures in the CL, it’s half time against Newcastle and we play manure at home in the third round of the FA cup.
I wonder how many of the so called top six PL clubs would like to be in that position?
I’m hoping MA can turn it around by the end of the season, but if he doesn’t, then THAT’S the time to vent our feelings – D(amned) if I do and D(amned) if I don’t eh😂😂 😂😂😂
Ken1945,
While I don’t agree with everything you say, none the less I do agree with a good part of it.
Both a humorous and interesting piece. And I will have a think about what you have said.😉👍
That’s what it’s all about Derek, opinions, respecting fellow Gooners and, sometimes, having a laugh at each other and, more importantly, oneself.
Glad you liked the humour and I realized I should have added D(an) as the groups leader 😂😂😂😂😂
Ken1945,
As you’ve mentioned the amount of contributors with the letter D in their names.
I’ve come up with a name for us as a group.
From today, Thursday January 9th 2025.
We’re going to known as the D-Day Club.
What do you think.😉👍
Depends what the first D stands for Derek, don’t forget ladies are present, but one phrase certainly springs to mind 😂😂😂😂 but I’m sure AdminPat would ban it 😂😂😂
Now, Now, Ken1945,
Keep it clean. 🤣😂😉👍
What, diehards is not clean?!
Ken1945,
I like your style. 😉👍
I concur.
Sadly, puma will be taking over from Nike next season onwards for ball supplies in the premier league. 😞
Well I am a LFC fan but one of my four sons is an AFC supporter and we have a bit of banter with the two other sons about what goes on and it is all good fun but sometimes explosive…like some comments above – from a neutral perspective…I do think that AFC/the coach have been badly ht with injuries/Saka is a major drawback to say the least…AFC are second and I agree with the comment that you need to see how the full season plays out. That being said, a couple of things stand out to me about AFC – they were searching fr a strong #9 before Aubameyang and Arteta sacked him and bought in Je Suis/I think both have been failures and the team still needs a strong #9 who actually scores goals/up till now it has been Saka that has carried the team in both assists and goals and without him/well it the equivalent of Man City losing Rodri – now this #9 problem for AFC has even until now not been solved/so I do blame the manager to some extent but also the Management at AFC…i think if a top notch scorer #9 (like a Solanke or Delap or Wood) is bought – that will go a long way to solving some of Arteta’s problems/but I do think also that he needs to be a bit more aggressive in his approach to games/not much more just a bit/but again I think a top #9 will help in that…but do believe you as supporers need to support Arteta through thick and thin this season/then make your judgements at the end/AFC are not far off being Premier League winners! YNWA.
Thank you for taking the time to give your point of view from a neutral position. An interesting read.