Arsenal's Arteta Criticized for Blaming Match Ball After Newcastle Loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta blamed the 'tricky' match ball for his team's 2-0 League Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle, prompting a humorous response from the competition's organisers.

The League Cup organisers have taken a lighthearted jab at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, following his comments about the match ball used in their semi-final clash against Newcastle. Arteta suggested that the “tricky” ball may have contributed to his team's 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Newcastle secured a significant advantage in the semi-final tie, thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. The victory puts Eddie Howe's side in a strong position to reach the Wembley final in March. The League Cup organisers' tongue-in-cheek response to Arteta's comments adds a touch of humor to the situation, poking fun at the manager's attempt to shift some of the blame away from his team's performance.

Arsenal's attacking efforts were thwarted despite registering an impressive 23 shots throughout the match. However, only three of those attempts were on target, with Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz squandering prime opportunities to score.

According to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, the team struggled to adapt to the ball used in the competition, which is manufactured by Puma. In contrast, the Premier League uses Nike balls. Arteta noted that the Puma ball behaves differently in flight and has a distinct grip.

“We kicked a lot of balls over the bar,” Arteta observed. “It's tricky. This ball flies a lot. It's just very different to the Premier League ball, and we have to adapt to that.” He added, “It flies different, and the grip is very different as well.” Arsenal's struggles with the ball were uncharacteristic, given their impressive scoring form in the League Cup this season, with 11 goals in three matches leading up to the semifinal clash.

The EFL have responded to Mikel Arteta claiming the Carabao Cup ball is "tricky". https://t.co/vrx5VEj7sX pic.twitter.com/23Mt6BJ3RN

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 8, 2025

The official Carabao Cup (League Cup) Twitter account, with nearly 600,000 followers, playfully mocked Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's comments about the match ball. The account reposted a clip of Arteta's post-match press conference, accompanied by a humorous meme of US rapper 50 Cent sporting an exasperated expression, seemingly poking fun at Arteta's remarks.

Mikel Arteta suggested the Carabao Cup ball contributed to Arsenal's 2-0 defeat vs. Newcastle 😳 pic.twitter.com/27e9mSrzCJ

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 8, 2025

The winner of the semifinal tie between Arsenal and Newcastle will advance to face either Tottenham or Liverpool in the final at Wembley. The second leg is scheduled to take place at St James' Park on February 5th. Arteta is under pressure to deliver his second trophy as Arsenal manager, having won the FA Cup in his first season in charge five years ago.

Arsenal, currently second in the Premier League, will shift their focus to the FA Cup third round on Sunday, hosting Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. The match presents an opportunity for Arteta to progress in the competition and alleviate some of the pressure surrounding his team's recent performance.