Mikel Arteta: Arsenal manager says Carabao Cup ball was a factor in his side’s wasteful finish against Newcastle | Football news
Mikel Arteta has slammed Arsenal’s wastefulness in their 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final first leg loss to Newcastle and suggested the ball used in the competition contributed to it.
Arsenal missed a number of chances at the Emirates Stadium as goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon put Newcastle in control of the tie ahead of next month’s second leg.
The Gunners had 23 shots worth 3.09 expected goals but managed just three of them on target, with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the post in the first half and Kai Havertz missing his best chance in the second period when he clumsily sent over a free head shot over the neck. from close range.
A number of other chances flew over the crossbar and Arteta referred to the differences between the ball used in the competition, made by Puma, compared to the one used in the Premier League, which is made by Nike, when reflecting on Arsenal’s struggles for scoring in his press conference.
Asked what he could do to help his players improve their finishing, he said: “Nothing, just try to show them and give them advice on what we can do better.
“I think we kicked a lot of balls over the goal and it’s awkward that this ball flies a lot. We discussed that too, so there are details we can do better.”
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 differently. When you touch it, the grip is also very different, so you have to adapt to that.
“But in the end it’s gone, there’s no going back, it’s about the next game, and that’s our world, the reality of our world.”
Arsenal had no such problems in previous rounds of the competition, scoring a total of 11 goals in their games against Bolton, Preston and Crystal Palace using the same ball.
Against Newcastle, however, their wayward finishing was in stark contrast to Newcastle’s ruthlessness, with their two goals coming from just seven shots in total.
Arteta added: “If you look at what both teams produced and the dominance of the game, obviously it’s not the result that reflects the story of the game, but the reality is that they were super efficient with the chances they had and we weren’t.
“There are things we could have done better. We were unlucky at times. You need a certain amount of luck for the ball to bounce there. You also need that intuition. And if not, we’re going to have to generate more.
“That’s what we can do, then we’ll be more likely to win. But certainly, against this team, to produce what we produced, looking back at the last six games I watched, I didn’t see But the result says zero-two, unfortunately .”
Arsenal head to St James’ Park on Wednesday February 5 with a mountain to climb but Arteta believes his side can turn the tie around.
“We have to be disappointed because it’s another result that we wanted, but that’s the reality,” he added. “I have full faith. I saw my team play against them – I believe we can.”
What’s in store for Arsenal and Newcastle?
