MIKEL ARTETA has bizarrely blamed BALL for Arsenal's defeat to Newcastle.
The Gunners suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the Emirates in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Aleksander Isak and Anthony Gordon scored goals to put the Magpies in a comfortable position ahead of the reverse fixture.
Arsenal could not find a response despite 23 shots during the match.
Arteta's side could only hit the target with three shots, which was one fewer than Newcastle, despite 16 more attempts.
After the match, he appeared to point to the ball as one of the reasons why his side couldn't score.
The ball used for the Carabao Cup is made by Puma rather than Nike, which supplies the official ball for the Premier League.
One of the big differences between the two is that the Puma consists of twelve panels, while the Prem version consists of only four panels.
But Arteta has insisted the disagreements left his side unable to hit both the target and the fly differently.
He said: “We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it's difficult that these balls fly a lot, so there are details we can do better.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“But in the end that's over, there's no going back, it's about the next game and that's our world, the reality is outside the world.
“It's just different. Very different to a 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.”
Puma has been the ball supplier for the Carabao Cup and EFL since the start of the 2021/22 season.
The Gunners seemed to have no problems scoring with the ball in earlier rounds of the tournament.
The club had scored eleven goals in three games against Bolton, Preston North End and Crystal Palace on their way to the semi-finals.
Fans reacted with dismay to Arteta's comments on social media.
One reported: “He will be shocked to hear Newcastle used the ball too.”
A second said: “Unless Arsenal play with a different ball to Newcastle, the ball doesn't matter.”
A third wrote: “This man is now blaming the ball.”
A fourth said: “Please tell me he was joking?”
Another added: “He's getting pathetic.”
Arsenal will look to overturn their two-goal deficit in the second leg at St James' Park on February 5.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans remained convinced that Isak's opener should not have counted.
They saw a push from the attacker on Martin Odegaard just before they hit the net.
Even more fans were stunned when Gordon scored his goal during a Thierry Henry-inspired celebration in north London.
Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was left in tears at full-time as he appeared to say goodbye ahead of a move to Saudi Arabia.
Comments