Mikel Arteta has bizarrely blamed the ball for Arsenal's struggles in front of goal during their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the first leg of their EFL Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Bet Football With Bet365
Arsenal, despite dominating possession and registering 23 shots, the Gunners attacking frontline could only register three shots on target on their home soil, leaving supporting fans fuming. Goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon give Newcastle a 2-0 home advantage, with the second leg of the last round set to take place on February 5th, 2025, at St. James Park.
The Gunner manager, while addressing the issues after the match in his press conference, pointed to the ball in use as one of the major reasons his side was unable to score. Puma is the supplier of the ball used for Carabao Cup matches, while the Nike ball is used weekly in the Premier League.
Speaking after the match,
"Nothing, just try and show them, give them kicks or tips of what they can do better. We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot so there’s details that we can do better. But at the end that’s gone, there’s no way back, it’s about the next game and that’s our world, the reality is our world." When asked specifically about the ball, the Arsenal boss said, "It’s just different. Very different to a Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that because it flies different. When you touch it the grip is very different as well so you adapt to that."
Puma has been the ball provider for the Carabao Cup and EFL since the start of the 2021/22 season. So far in this season's Carabao Cup, Mikel Arteta's attacking power has scored 11 goals in three matches against Bolton, Preston North End, and Crystal Palace.
Bet Football on 1xBet
