Arsenal 0-2 Newcastle: Mikel Arteta says Carabao Cup footballs are ‘tricky’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta remains confident his side can reach the Carabao Cup final but says his players must first master the “tricky” ball used in the game.
The gunman is Newcastle defeated 2-0 Alexander Isaac and Anthony Gordon scored in the first leg of Tuesday’s semifinal.
Arsenal shot a total of 23 times in the game, but only 3 of them were on target. Gabriel Martinelli hit the post and Kai Havertz’s header went wide.
When asked about the missed opportunity in his post-match press conference, Arteta said he would not tell his players to make any changes but did mention the impact of the ball.
“We kicked a lot of balls over the crossbar and they flew a lot, which was tricky, so we can do better on some details,” he said.
“But in the end it all goes away – there’s no going back, it’s about the next game and that’s our world and reality is our world.
“It’s just halftime. When I see the team play and how we handle a lot of situations and play against a really good team, I have to say I have full confidence that we can do this.”
Before losing to Newcastle, the Gunners had scored 11 goals in three Carabao Cup games so far this season.
The match ball is made by Puma, while the Premier League ball is made by Nike.
“It’s just different,” Arteta said when asked for more details about the ball.
“It’s very different to the Premier League ball and you have to get used to that because it flies in a different way.
“The grip is also very different when you touch it, so you have to get used to it.”
