Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta blamed the physics of the ball used in the Carabao Cup for his side’s sloppy finish against Newcastle United on Tuesday.
Gunners fell to a 2-0 home defeatdespite dominance in statistics. They had 70% possession and 23 shots on goal, but only three of those attempts were on goal. Newcastle, meanwhile, hit the target from four of their seven total shots.
This is not the first time Arsenal were accused of a lack of edge in open play but Arteta insisted the Carabao Cup ball did not help his players on Tuesday.
Asked how he can help the team take their chances, Arteta replied: “Just try to show them, give them tips on what they can do better. We also shot a lot of balls over the goal and it’s hard for those balls to fly a lot, so there are details that we can improve.”
On the ball, Arteta continued: “It’s just different. 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 adapt to that.”
Arteta continued to recognize the quality of Alexander Isak, transfer target for Arsenaland the difference such a clinical forward can make in a team.
“He was involved in both goals, unfortunately twice when he had the ball in the box, which is what you have when you have real quality up front,” he said.
“They can make a difference. They are very clinical.”
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