Mikel Arteta blames ball for Arsenal’s defeat by Newcastle in Carabao Cup semi-final

At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal was defeated by Newcastle by a score of 2-0, allowing Newcastle to secure a comfortable advantage that they will carry back to St. James’ Park for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Mikel Arteta is adamant that Arsenal has the ability to win the match, despite the fact that he has stated that the ball was partially to blame for their loss.

Alexander Isak, a striker for Newcastle, achieved a goal and contributed to Anthony Gordon’s goal, which provided the Toon Army with a significant edge in the Carabao Cup semi-final, which was played over two legs. However, Arteta stated that the unusual Puma match ball that was used in the competition played a role because it is different from the ball that they are used to using in the Premier League.

“We also kicked a lot of balls over the bar, and it’s tricky that these balls fly a lot, so there are details that we can do better,” Arteta, the manager of the Gunners, remarked. It is quite different from a Premier League ball, and you have to adjust to it because it flies differently. Additionally, when you touch it, the grip is very different, and you have to adjust to that as well.

“It’s only the halftime break. The way that the team plays, the way that we handle a lot of different scenarios, and the way that we play against a very good team all contribute to my feeling that we are capable of going out there and accomplishing what we set out to achieve. If you consider what both teams generated and the domination, you will see that the outcome does not accurately reflect the tale of the game. However, the fact of the matter is that they were really effective with the opportunities they had, whereas we were not.

Isak scored his fifty-first goal for Newcastle since joining the club in August 2022, and his partner Gordon stated, “I don’t think there’s a better center forward in Europe at the moment.” Isak began his career with Newcastle in August 2022. Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, is attempting to win the club’s first major title in the past 56 years. He praised the effort of his team as well as that of Isak, who is considered a danger man.

According to Howe, Alex performed exceptionally well in the first half of today’s match. He appeared to be in excellent physical condition, and his pace and movements were causing them a lot of trouble. I couldn’t have been happier with the way he performed. Alex is an outstanding player for us when he is in that frame of mind, which he was in during the first half of the game. The fact that he puts in the effort and brings our general level up is something that should go without saying.

The Gunners are looking to strengthen their offensive options, and there have been rumors that they are considering making a move for the Newcastle forward. On the other hand, it has been asserted that Newcastle has placed a price tag of 150 million pounds on the head of the former Real Sociedad player.

When asked about the forward, Arteta stated, “I don’t think he created or had any big chances, but unfortunately, he was involved in both goals with the two times that he had the ball in the box.” Arteta mentioned that he was involved in both goals. What you have is the genuine quality right from the beginning, and they have the potential to make a difference. Their approach is quite clinical.

After a couple of results that were not very impressive, Arsenal might benefit from the addition of another forward. Prior to their loss to Newcastle, they played Brighton to a poor draw, a game in which they had just three shots on target. This was followed by their loss to Newcastle. This weekend, there will be a match in the FA Cup between Manchester United and Manchester United, which is not going to make matters any simpler.

“If we lose the game, or draw the game, it’s going to be down to that,” Arteta said in response to a question on whether or not fatigue may become a problem for his team or not. If we were to win today and score three goals that we ought to have scored, the narrative would have been an entirely different one. It’s astonishing how hard they work and how much effort they put into each and every action, but I don’t even want to talk about that. There are a lot more games coming up, very important ones, and the squad is really hoping to win them all.