Mikel Arteta bizarrely blames the Carabao Cup BALL for Arsenal’s missed chances against Newcastle… as he bemoans his side ‘kicking a lot over the bar’ during their 2-0 defeat in the first leg
- Newcastle defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final
- Mikel Arteta emphasized the ball as he dealt with the Gunners’ defeat
- LISTEN NOW: It all starts!available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Mikel Arteta bizarrely brought up the match ball as Arsenal crushed their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle.
In the Carabao Cup a Puma ball is used, while in the Premier League a Nike ball is used.
When asked about Arsenal’s missed chances – they had 23 shots but only three on target – Arteta replied: “We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s difficult that these balls fly a lot, so there are details that we can do better. .
‘But in the end that’s gone, there’s no way back. It’s about the next game and that’s our world, reality.’
Addressing the issue further, Arteta added: ‘No, it’s just different. It’s very different to Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that.
“It flies differently… when you touch it, the grip is very different, so you have to adapt to that.”
Mikel Arteta bizarrely brought up the ball as he broke down Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle
Arsenal missed several chances as they had 23 shots, but only three of them were on target
Arteta claimed the Puma Carabao Cup ball was ‘different’ and said ‘these balls fly a lot’
When Arteta was assistant manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola branded the Miter ball used in a Carabao Cup last-16 win against Wolves in October 2017 as ‘highly unacceptable’.
Isak, who has long been linked with the Gunners, scored one and was involved in the build-up to Newcastle’s second goal as Anthony Gordon finished the striker’s deflected shot.
On Isak, Arteta added: “The ball came to him, he created and had a lot of big chances. He was also involved in both goals.
“Unfortunately the two times he had the ball in the box, that’s what happens when you’ve got real quality up front and they can make the difference, and they’re very clinical.”
Isak scored his fourteenth goal in fifteen games and the Toon picked up their seventh straight win as they chase a first major domestic trophy in almost seventy years.
Eddie Howe was full of praise for his star man, but said Isak was dealing with a hamstring problem – something he hopes won’t be an issue ahead of the second leg at St James’ Park on February 5.
Eddie Howe praised Alexander Isak, although he revealed he was forced off the field due to a hamstring problem
He said: “The first half he was electric, I thought he played really well. He scored, but I thought his overall play was in a really good place.
‘He felt his hamstring a little bit at half-time so we had to manage him in the second half and that was a big blow to our performance.
‘He’s so important, we can’t risk losing him. Hopefully everything is fine.’
