According to Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, his team’s 2-0 loss against Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final was caused in part by the match ball they utilised.
On Tuesday, goals from Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak gave Newcastle a crucial lead, which gave them a huge boost heading into the League Cup final.
If Arsenal wants to advance to play either Tottenham or Liverpool in the final, they will have a mountain to climb when they play the second leg on February 5. Arteta thinks that the match ball was one of the reasons his team lost so many opportunities.
Arsenal had 23 shots but managed to get only three on target.
“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.” Arteta said when quizzed about the many missed chances.
Pressed by reporters about the issues with the ball, he said “It’s just different, it’s very different to the Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that. It flies different. When you touch it the grip is very different as well so you have to adapt to that.”
Unlike the Premier League that uses a Nike ball, the Carabao Cup uses a Puma ball.
The Magpies have never previously won the competition and have had to wait since 1969 to celebrate any major trophy.
Arsenal under Arteta have not won the Carabao Cup.
