Mikel Arteta has responded to Arsenal’s heavy Carabao Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle United.
Arsenal were beaten at home, with goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon putting them far ahead of the 2nd leg at St. James’ Park.
Arsenal were a shadow of themselves, and despite getting a few clearcut chances, they couldn’t score.
Arteta reacts to the heavy loss
In his interview, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta appeared to lay blame on the kind of ball used in the League Cup.
In his own words, Arteta said the ball was different from the Premier League ball and that his team had to adapt to it.
“It’s just different, different to the Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that because it flies different and when you touch it the grip is very different as well, so you have to adapt to that,” he said.
🗣️ Mikel Arteta on the ball used in the Carabao Cup: “It’s just different, very different to a Premier League ball and you have to adapt to that because it flies differently…” ⚽️pic.twitter.com/NZLIVjdzLj
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) January 7, 2025
Many will see this as a blatant excuse for not turning up in the game, considering how fans expected a better performance.
The loss has given the Gunners an uphill task, and they will have to produce a near-perfect performance in the second leg to claim their spot in the final.
