Arteta saw Arsenal waste a host of chances as Newcastle eased themselves into the driving seat ahead of the second-leg with an impressive 2-0 win, yet the Gunners’ boss echoed Pep Guardiola in his post-match comments
Arteta was left unhappy over the choice of match ball for the game (
Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta blamed the ball for Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night – an excuse Pep Guardiola also used several years ago in the same competition.
The Gunners were undone by in-form Magpies forward Alexander Isak with the Swedish star scoring one and playing a part in Anthony Gordon’s second to give Eddie Howe’s side a dominant advantage heading into the second leg. However, it was Arteta’s post-match comments that really turned heads.
It’s well-known that the Arsenal boss cut his coaching teeth under Manchester City‘s Guardiola after spending over three years on the City bench as the former Barcelona manager’s assistant coach. Yet it appears he soaked up more than just his former mentor’s tactical acumen during his time in Manchester, with the bizarre excuse mirroring almost exactly what Guardiola said in a Carabao Cup fixture seven years ago.
Arteta insisted that the match ball used in the competition, a different ball used from in the Premier League and Champions League, played a major part in his side’s loss, and led to Arsenal wasting a host of chances against Newcastle. The Nike ‘Flight’ ball is the current official ball of the Premier League while a Puma branded ball is used in the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal saw chances from Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli go begging and Arteta was adamant the ball’s weight may have had something to do with it. “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,” he said after the game.
“It’s 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.”
Arsenal players look dejected after their loss to Newcastle ( Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Guardiola also blasted the ball used in City’s 4-1 penalty shootout win over Wolverhampton Wanderers back in October 2017, as the Blues survived a major scare to progress to the League Cup quarter-finals after extra time. Guardiola was left reeling after the tie over the Mitre ball that was used, with the ball usually utilised in Football League games.
“It is not acceptable, the ball was unacceptable for a high-level competition,” Guardiola said. “It is too light, it moves all over the place, it is not a good ball. It is impossible to score with a ball like that and I can say that because we won, I’m not making excuses.
“All of my players said: ‘What is that?’ I’m sorry the Carabao Cup is not a serious ball for a serious competition. It’s [for] marketing, money, OK but it’s not acceptable – [it has] no weight, nothing. The ball is bad for one year or two years, it’s not acceptable. All the players complain.”
Despite Guardiola’s rumblings, City did clinch the Carabao Cup that season, the first of four League Cups for the Blues under their legendary manager. While Arteta is yet to win the tournament with Arsenal, there are some commentators who believe he does exhibit many of the same qualities as his former boss.
Ex-Gunners striker Thierry Henry even believes Arteta is a “mini” replica of Guardiola. Whether the formidable former forward was extending that right down to the excuses Arteta makes post-match is unlikely, but Henry did claim that Arteta shares undeniable coaching DNA with the City boss, a man he has now gone toe-to-toe with for the Premier League title in recent seasons.
“He’s like a mini Pep,” the Frenchman told David Seaman’s podcast back in August 2023. “I’m happy, you know but I’m not going to say he’s not, he is. When I say he’s a mini Pep, he is, so to speak, he is going to put his own sauce in it, as you can see. He’s very different in certain ways, but the tactics are virtually the same.
“The demeanour, the way he is, the way he talks very well to the press. I like his attitude, his demeanour, the way he is as a coach, the way they trust him. So now the only thing that is missing is obviously winning the title.”
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta worked together at Manchester City for several years ( Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Arteta now faces an up-hill battle to turn things around against Newcastle. With one FA Cup under his belt so far at Arsenal, the Gunners’ boss will have seen his side’s march to the Carabao Cup semi-final as a big chance to claim more major silverware, yet he is confident his team can turn it around against the Toon Army when they meet again at St James Park on February 5.
“It’s just half-time. When I see the team play, and how we deal with a lot of situations and play against a very good team I must say I have full belief that we can go out there and do it,” he said.
“If you look at what both teams produced and the dominance it’s not the result that reflects the story of the game but the reality is they were super efficient with the chances they had and we weren’t.”
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