Mikel Arteta has criticised the Carabao Cup ball after Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United in the first leg of the semi-final. The Gunners now face an uphill battle to overturn the deficit and secure a place in the final, a task made all the more daunting by Newcastle’s composed and dominant performance in London.
Throughout the match, Newcastle appeared more assured and purposeful, taking full advantage of Arsenal’s lacklustre display. The Magpies imposed themselves physically and tactically, effectively neutralising Arsenal’s key players and limiting the Gunners to a few chances, which they failed to convert. Despite this, Arteta drew attention to the ball used in the competition as a contributing factor to his side’s defeat.
Speaking after the match, Arteta remarked, 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.” He elaborated further when asked about the issue: “No, it’s just different. It’s very different to the Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that. It flies different… when you touch it, the grip is very different as well, so you have to adapt to that.”
While Arteta’s comments reflect his frustration, they have sparked debate, as both teams played with the same ball under identical conditions. Newcastle seemed unaffected, capitalising on their chances and managing the game expertly. Arsenal, by contrast, struggled to adapt, and the blame placed on the ball has been seen by many as a weak excuse for a subpar performance.
Instead of focusing on external factors, Arsenal must address their own shortcomings. From defensive frailties to a lack of clinical finishing, the Gunners will need to make significant improvements ahead of the second leg. The team must also demonstrate resilience and adaptability if they hope to overturn the result and keep their hopes of silverware alive this season. Arteta’s comments may have been intended to highlight a minor detail, but the focus must now shift to fixing the issues within his squad.
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Arteta is clutching at straws looking for any excuse. If we don’t win anything he must get sacked.
Apparently the ball was too round..
Anyhow, these are the ridiculous excuses of a manager who has lost it and cannot face the fact he has no answers. He doesn’t know what to do any longer so he starts blaming anything to shift blame from him. That’s called deflecting. We have seen this many times before with different managers in the PL.
I have said it, and I will keep saying it.
You choose a manager based on what he has done at a previous club. Arteta has never coached in his life, and we are the stepping stones for Arteta.
I said it 3 months ago Arteta can’t win a trophy because of his stubborn nature, his inability to adapt, his talent ID, his inability to manage players and improve them, and his inability to manage resources.
The manager has been backed and supported more than any manager, but when given this kind of chance, what does Arteta do?
You didn’t spend $70 million, and your team looks worse.
To blame the ball for a disgraceful loss on your home ground deserves a sack.
There is nowhere to hide for Arteta because there is no Edu to hide behind anymore.
I also called it that the signing of Havertz and the insistance to keep forcing him and Merino into this team will ultimately lead to his downfall.
All you need to do is play a low block and Arteta crumbles.
@gizzle
Or a high press. The team has still not gotten to grips with how to deal with that either.
He was the coach at Man City for 3 years. Pep, while at Barcelona, even got in contact with Mikel to ask his advice on how to beat Chelsea in the CL.
Get in Isak (or we should have done ))
And bring in Howe (job complete )
Blaming the ball 🙄
Blaming the ball is embarrassing and a new low; a pitiful desperate excuse to avoid looking in the mirror.
See what a top striker can do? But we don’t need one right? We have Havertz and Jesus, ffs.
Privately I hope he ripped the players and then got the hairdryer treatment himself from someone.
Best to just start with an apology to home fans, and praise Newcastle for playing us off the pitch.
The tactics need to change, the crab style of play has to change. New players won’t revive this failed system.
Indefensible performance really, stop making pathetic excuses.
So embarrassing! What was he thinking? Please remain humble and smart always. It makes us a laughing stock – we shouldn’t be happy we lost but let’s put it right on the pitch.
They play with a beach ball in the final, so no chance.
It’s his team, 700mill+ spent on the squad. His tactics, his lineup, he prepares the players for the games. Of course he does not control them on the pitch but it’s clear there was no real flow to the way Arsenal played yesterday. Blaming the ball is pathetic. Dark times for Mikel Arteta