Mikel Arteta holds Puma matchball responsible for Arsenal’s poor finishing in Carabao Cup loss vs Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta attributes Arsenal’s unsuccessful finish in the Carabao Cup to the Puma matchball.

 

 

Mikel Arteta posited that Arsenal’s erratic execution was partially attributable to the ball used in their Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle United on Tuesday night. Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon scored goals at the Emirates Stadium, resulting in a 2-0 loss for Arsenal.

 

 

 

In order to advance to the final, they must perform an extraordinary comeback in the away leg next month.Throughout the match, the Gunners generated numerous opportunities, executing 23 shots; however, they were only able to net three of them.

 

 

 

“Arteta stated that the story of the game is not reflected in the result, but rather in the fact that they were highly efficient with the opportunities they had, while we were not.” “We were unlucky at times; the ball must bounce with a certain amount of luck and intuition.”

 

 

 

It will be necessary for us to produce additional quantities. Arteta perceived the distinction between the match ball utilized in the Premier League and the one used in the Carabao Cup as significant when he was requested to evaluate his team’s poor finishing.

 

 

 

“We launched numerous balls over the bar,” he stated. I find it to be quite complex. This projectile has a high rate of flight. It is simply distinct from the Premier League ball, and we must adjust accordingly. The handle is significantly different, and it flies differently.

 

 

 

Howe reflected on a victory that was hard-fought, as he appeared to have one foot in the final advance of the second leg at St James’ Park next month.

 

 

 

 

“The players were certainly fatigued today,” he stated. “We were aware that they would be from the Tottenham game on Saturday; that was a significant, physical match, so we anticipated that it would be a challenging mental and physical challenge to come to this location.”